


Mother(ghost) of Mine

by Kattythingz



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: ALL THE FAMILY FLUFF, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author's Privileges, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Dan and Dani are gremlins, Dan is actually 10, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, I tried my best to keep everyone IC, It actually works, Jazz is a good aunt, Slow Updates, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tired Mom Danny, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and the Fluff Children on discord made it worse (better), but Dan is really hard to write, but Danny loves them anyway, he's the mom cuz I said so, lots of fluff in case you can't tell, so don't flame me, the Phantom family gave me a lot of feelings, this was just an excuse to write about Mom Danny, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24227953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kattythingz/pseuds/Kattythingz
Summary: Local Hero Danny Fenton is already overworked, so being adopted by two ghosts who are apparently his kids by ghostly standards isn’t exactly helping his case. And to add insult to injury, he's not even "Dad", he's "Mom"! These two are sure to be the (second) death of him.OR: Ghost instincts are weird, which leads to Danny being the unlikely mother of two gremlin children. Domestic chaos ensues. Much fluff, much love.
Relationships: Clockwork & Danny Fenton, Dan Phantom & Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Danny Fenton & Dan Phantom, Danny Fenton & Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton
Comments: 186
Kudos: 401





	1. New Normal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DriftingFandoms](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DriftingFandoms/gifts), [Disaster_Fire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Disaster_Fire/gifts), [Starchild05](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starchild05/gifts).



> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM.

The sound of loud bantering echoed in the Fenton household. In the kitchen, two youths sighed simultaneously in annoyed exasperation, one louder than the other.

Jazz gave Danny a sympathetic smile, “How long have they been at that?”

“Since the morning,” he groaned. He curled into his arms on the table, “Last night they kept arguing about who could sleep with me, so I didn’t get much sleep.”

“And they slept like babies after that?”

“Yup.”

Danny glared at his traitorous sister as she laughed. “It’s not funny! I was being suffocated _and_ overheated, and I have an _ice_ core. I didn’t even know I could get overheated!”

“You brought this upon yourself, Danny,” Jazz giggled. She took in his messy hair, tired eyes, and his lazy-day clothes that consisted of an oversized NASA hoodie and black shorts. She smiled as she realized something.

“What?” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re laughing about something. What is it?”

“Sorry, it’s just-”

The screaming neared the kitchen, and Danny groaned louder, smacking his head against the table.

Jazz grinned as she continued, “-you look like an overworked parent.”

“What gave it away?” He glared from his arms.

“Oh, not much. Aside from your overall outfit and physical condition, it’s definitely-”

“MOM!”

“-not the two kids calling you _mom_.”

Before he could defend his case, the source of the two voices walked in. Now, if Jazz hadn’t witnessed the day this started, she would’ve been very confused by the sight before her. Because there is nothing normal about a 6’0 tall ‘man’ (details she didn’t feel like going into) and a 4’11 short girl calling a 5’5 fifteen-year-old boy “mom”. 

Jazz stifled another laugh as the duo marched up to the poor groaning form of her little brother.

“Mom, tell Dan to stop calling me short!” Dani pouted. At least, that’s what it looked like to Jazz. She tried so hard to be angry, but all she ended up looking was pouty.

“But you _are_ short,” Dan grinned down at her. “Girls your age are at least 5 feet tall, but you can’t even manage that.”

Dani’s fists glowed green. “Wanna say that again?”

“Sure thing sho-”

“Guys!” Danny yelled, stepping in between the two before a fight could break out. “If you want to fight, take it somewhere empty and _uninhabited_. I am sick of cleaning after your messes!”

“I’m not the one that blows up buildings,” Dani crossed her arms. She pointed an accusing finger at Dan. “ _He_ always does the destroying!”

Danny gave her a stern look that Jazz has come to label as his ‘disappointed mom’ look. He frowned, “Dani, it’s _Dan_. You’re above indulging his petty whims.”

“But-”

“Oh lighten up, it’s not her fault she can barely reach the height limit of being ‘above’,” Dan smirked.

“THAT’S IT!”

“Danielle!” Danny pulled her ear before her fist could meet Dan’s face. “Stop this right now!”

“Mooom,” she whined. “You’re just letting him mock me like this?”

“I know a lost cause when I see one, Dani,” Danny briefly glanced at Dan with a smile that screamed “prove me wrong”. Jazz hid a smile behind her hand. She knew this tactic all too well…

“Hey!” Dan frowned. “I’m getting better!”

“Are you?” Danny raised a brow. “So it wasn’t you that nearly blew off Dash’s head the other day?”

Dan faltered slightly. “That wasn’t my fault. He was calling you names again, it would slander my reputation if people actually start to believe Danny Fenton is a weakling.”

“And that has _nothing_ to do with you being overprotective and angry in his honor,” Dani snorted.

“I am _not_!” He growled. “I was just protecting my own name by protecting his.”

Jazz watched on in amusement. She took in the way Danny’s cheeks flushed a little, and she knew he was flattered by the implied meaning behind Dan’s words. Danny might be dense, but over the few months that he’s spent with Dan, he’s learned to recognize Dan’s body language. Jazz has too, because what kind of self-respecting aunt would she be if she didn’t know something so simple?

“Anyway,” Danny cleared his throat, trying to sound stern again. “I appreciate your defense, Dan, but maybe next time don’t resort to nearly killing him.”

Dan’s chest puffed slightly, and Dani pouted beside him. _Oh my_ , Jazz grinned. Was Dan _preening_?

“Can we play pranks on him?” Dani put her hands together as though to beg him.

Danny paused, considering this. Dani and Dan had a nasty tendency to blast first and ask questions later, so this was a pretty non-violent suggestion coming from them. It _would_ be funny to watch, he mused.

“Alright,” he conceded. 

Dani cheered, and Danny cut in quickly, “But _no_ violence is to be involved. _None_. Got it?”

Dan huffed. “You’re so _boring_.”

Interestingly, he didn’t argue further, so Danny took that as a reluctant “okay”. That’s as much as you can get from Dan. It was amazing he even got so far in the first place.

“Fine,” Dani rolled her eyes. “But don’t blame me if he has a bad hair day involving lots of hair dye.”

“That’s so level one, Twerp. But I can’t blame you, it’s as far as you can reach after all.”

“WHY YOU-”

Danny sighed as the loud bickering returned. He felt an incoming headache. That’s been happening a lot since they came into his life. “Alright, take it to the Ghost Zone, you two.”

Dani grinned. “Winner gets to spend tomorrow with Mom.”

“Hey-”

“Deal,” Dan smirked. “Prepare to wallow in jealousy.”

“Guys-”

“If you mean yourself, sure.”

“KIDS!”

That snapped them out of it, and they turned simultaneously to see Danny’s frown had turned into an annoyed one.

“One more word out of you and _none_ of you get tomorrow,” Danny warned. “Now go settle this petty argument like good ghosts.”

“Fine,” they grumbled. 

They phased through the floor, and peaceful silence filled the room once more.

Danny sighed, rubbing his aching head. “Honestly, those gremlins will be the _second_ death of me.”

“Hey, _you_ decided to adopt them,” Jazz shrugged.

“I didn’t adopt them, Jazz!” Danny glared.

“No, you’re right. _They_ adopted _you_ as their parent.”

Danny glowered at her. “You suck at this whole moral support thing.”

“You’re just annoyed they settled with _mom_ and not _dad_ ,” she laughed.

“I still don’t get that, by the way. I’m a _boy_ , shouldn’t I be ‘Dad’?”

“Hmm, let’s see,” Jazz hummed. “You’re nurturing, you talk to them when they’re sad, you cuddle them regularly, you clean behind their messes…”

“Isn’t that sexist to women or something?” he frowned.

“Not really, studies show that most mothers tend to be the nurturing one between parents. It’s just what people associate with the word now,” she explained. _Besides_ , she thought, _you’re not exactly the buffest guy out there._

And while some people might take this offensively, Jazz knew Danny didn’t mind the title as much as he said he did. He thought she couldn’t see the small smiles and flush to his cheeks, but Jazz has always had a keen eye, especially when it concerned her brother.

Danny mumbled incomprehensibly, but he finally settled on, “Whatever.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a while. They’ve learned to appreciate the silence now; when their parents’ racket was gone for the day (out for “ghost hunting”, even if they thankfully never catch anything), the silence that was usually there became replaced with the bickering of two children that Danny _definitely_ adopted.

Not that she wanted things to change. She’s grown fond of those two, and she couldn’t imagine her days without them now. Still, the occasional silence was nice.

Jazz sighed, “I can’t believe how much things have changed. I mean, ghost kids?”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Danny laughed. “It’s kind of insane when I think about it. The logistics are way beyond me, but somehow I ended up parenting two kids that are somehow related to me.”

“How does that work again?” she frowned, trying to remember. She hated forgetting things.

“Something about them having part of my ghost core,” Danny answered. “Not that the 'genetics' matter.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” She pressed.

Danny grinned. “It means: that’s for me to know and you to obsess over.”

“Danny!”

With a laugh that sounded more like a cackle to her, Danny walked out, leaving her to stew in her curiosity and frustration. And he wondered where the kids got their attitudes, she rolled her eyes. Nonetheless, a small fond smile crossed her lips.

Well, like mother like child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read my other drabbles on my writing Tumblr under the same name :3


	2. Captivating Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny just wanted to get to school on time, and yet here he was, stuck between his two no-good tardy kids.

“-and then Lyth suddenly starts _dying_. She was laughing so hard and I think she spit her water out of her nose, too!”

“Must’ve been some prank if she was so hysterical.”

“Oh, yeah, and then-”

“You know, as domestically adorable as this is, I hope you two gremlins realize that I have _school_ in five minutes.”

“Do you?” Dan snarked with a smirk, not that Danny could see him from his position against his muscular back. “What do you think, Twerp?”

“For the last time, stop calling me that,” Dani huffed. Then, with an impish grin that Danny could feel in his thigh, “Nope, doesn’t ring any bells. Sorry, Mom.”

Danny grumbled, crossing his arms with the limited space left to him. He could barely move as it was with the way he was being held against Dan’s chest as Dani laid her head in his lap. This was their definition of “cuddling”, but, to Danny, it felt more like entrapment because they _definitely_ knew he had school today.

“Come on, guys,” Danny tried again. Maybe this time they’d grow a semblance of pity for him. Lancer will _kill_ him if he’s late again.

“Not happening,” Dan rumbled, or it _felt_ like a rumble to him. Seriously, how was this kid so much manlier than him when he had the core of an eleven-year-old? Danny doesn’t get his Dad’s genes, but somehow his humanly impossible ghost kid does? “You’re lucky we’re even sitting, Dani wanted to stay in bed.”

“Well, your lap will have to do,” she said as though it pained her. 

“Dani, you’re gonna be late, too.”

“Who cares? This is relaxing.” _Oh, I bet it is, you little brat,_ Danny glowered to himself.

Before he could respond, his savior arrived in the form of his older sister Jazz, who paused in surprise at the sight before her. 

“What’s going on here?” She asked.

“Just hanging out,” Dani replied.

Danny shook his head above Dani, giving her a pleading look that screamed _save me, please_. Jazz saw this, and she almost considered helping him. Almost.

“See you later, Danny,” she grinned unsympathetically. 

“Jazz, wait!”

“Oh, I took the liberty of calling in sick for you, you’re welcome,” and with that, she was out the door, not once glancing back at what could only be described as a puppy pile. Jazz giggled to herself as she heard Danny call for her again. He’ll thank her when he knows.

Back inside, Danny was staring at the door Jazz just disappeared from with betrayal. She doomed him to missing school. _Jazz_ doomed him to missing school. This must be some kind of fever dream.

He could feel the vibrations of Dani’s giggling and Dan’s chuckling, and Danny could only sigh in defeat. All his options were out now.

“You little brats,” he groaned. “You are _so_ grounded when I get out of this.”

“Whatever you say, Mom,” Dani laughed. She sounded completely unapologetic, which was so very Dani of her, and this time he couldn’t help the fondness of his next sigh. He lifted a hand to her head and smoothed down her unruly hair. 

“Why do I put up with you?” He complained, his hand contradicting his voice.

“Because you love us?” 

“Greatest mistake of my life. Should’ve left you to stay with your crappy dad.”

“No way would you have done that,” Dan laughed, though his arms tightened around Danny. “You’re too goody-two-shoes for that.”

“You’re grounded too, mister!”

“No amount of grounding will get you out of this, Ma. Nice try.”

“I know that,” Danny pouted. “I’m the parent, shouldn’t you be listening to me, and not the other way around?”

“Because you’re such a model son.”

“Says you, Mr. I-almost-ended-the-world.”

“You know, he has a point.”

“Shut it, Twerp.”

“Listen here you ba-”

Danny pushed her head back down before she could get far, trying to soothe her by carding his fingers through her hair. “No fighting when I’m right between you and can be caught in the crossfire.”

“Can we afterward?”

“So long as you do it in the Ghost Zone. And no fatal wounds.”

Dan leaned his head down to meet Danny’s left shoulder. Had Danny not known any better, he would have pointed out that Dan was nuzzling him, but Danny valued his afterlife, thank you very much. “Why do you always coddle her? With me, it’s always ‘ _Don’t kill someone, Dan’_.”

“Because you can _actually_ kill someone,” Dani said smugly. “I, on the other hand, am perfect. I am the firstborn, after all.”

“By a year. And at least _I_ was born like a normal ghost.”

“Hey!”

“Stop it, you two,” Danny groaned. “And don’t say it like that, it sounds so wrong out of context.”

“Whatever,” Dan definitely _did not_ pout at that. Not at all. Danny didn’t need to see it to know that though, so he placed a placating hand on his head of ectoplasmic fiery hair. Dan also _did not_ lean into that touch. Nope.

Dani giggled at the sight above her. “Just admit you love Mom, Dan. Frankly, it’s a little embarrassing watching you act all emotionless when you are _clearly_ nuzzling him like an overgrown puppy.”

“Dani!” Danny scolded her lightly. Still, a little teasing shouldn’t hurt. “Don’t tease your brother like that, you know he’s shy.”

“Who’s shy?” Dan growled.

“You,” Dani grinned. “Maybe we should call Cujo and compare your behavior.”

“You little shi-”

“Language!” Danny pinched him. 

Dan grumbled. “Why should I listen to a word you say?”

“You don’t, but you’ll choose to anyway.”

“Ha, whipped!” Dani cackled.

“That’s rich coming from _you_ , Ms. Mommy’s-Girl.”

Dani glowered at him, but didn’t have anything to retaliate with other than, “Shut up.”

The two settled down after a minute of glaring. Dani relaxed her position even more, curling her legs up and nuzzling closer to his thigh, and Dan pulled him closer and didn’t remove his head from his shoulder, just keeping it there as he relaxed against Danny.

Danny relaxed his muscles, accepting his fate of being trapped like this for an indefinite amount of time. 

He’d always planned on taking Dani in, as a brother, but along the way, his plan changed as she took to calling him “Mom”. It baffled him that she went for that term of all things, but he’ll admit it’s grown on him. Dan followed suit because he thought it was a joke, and even now he tried to brush it off as just that. But Danny knew better.

Danny closed his eyes with a smile, and, slowly, he nodded off, thoughts of his unlikely situation in mind.

When the sound of his soft and even breathing filled the room’s silence, Dani and Dan finally let themselves smile at each other, a very rare occurrence that only happened because of the very person trapped between them. “Mission success?” Dani smiled. She was too goopy from… Well, everything, right now.

“I’d say it was, Twerp,” Dan grinned. “I guess you _can_ use your brain for something after all.”

“Hey!”

They sat in silence for a minute before Dani remembered something.

“We are so grounded for this, aren’t we?”

Dan groaned. He may look like an adult, but that was just his physical body and not his core’s age. Which meant Danny had full right to ground him too. “Damnit.”

“Totally worth it,” Dani said after a minute of contemplation. The peaceful look on Danny’s face, free of any and all stress, made up for the inevitable scolding and grounding she’d get. It’s been a while since Danny let himself relax like this.

Dan was definitely thinking the same thing if his eyes were anything to go by. “Yeah.”

“Careful there, Dan, you almost sounded _caring_ for a moment.”

“Don’t ruin the moment, Twerp.”

She rolled her eyes but went back to her earlier position. Through their connecting touches, they could feel the way Danny’s core thrummed with life, and they took comfort in that (even Dan) as they cozied up and dozed off as well.

(Mysteriously, that very moment was sealed in a photo in the [ghost] family scrapbook.)


	3. Exceptional Endearment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Danny woke up, he expected a lot of things, but definitely not what seemed to be a Mother’s Day gift from his ghost kids.

When it comes to the Fentons, the unordinary was ordinary. Normal families didn’t have a lab in their basement, nor an interdimensional portal to a supposed Ghost Zone. Normal Families didn’t even have a giant ops-center on their roof, nor a giant neon sign that screamed their existence to the world.

And yet, the sight Jazz had woken up to was so _mundane_ compared to the worst-case scenario in her head.

“Shit, it’s on fire! Do something, you idiot!”

“Oh, yeah! Because more fire will definitely put out the fire!”

“You have fire powers, absorb it or something!”

“That’s not how they work, Twerp!”

“Unless you have a better idea-”

“Guys!” Jazz yelled, interrupting the arguing duo. Two heads turned to face her, and Jazz noted that both of them were covered in a mess of eggs and… was that batter? “What is happening here?” 

Dani faltered under her stern gaze, and Jazz knew Dan was trying to hold back his own reaction as well. She fidgeted nervously, “Well, uh-”

“It’s her fault!” Dan pointed.

“Hey! You helped create this mess too!”

“But it was _your_ harebrained idea!”

“CHILDREN!”

The kitchen was a mess, and Jazz could already feel the headache that would come with cleaning it. The yelling wasn’t helping either. Was this how Danny felt? She vowed to never make fun of his parental headaches ever again.

“You have ten seconds to explain what happened here,” Jazz said slowly. “And if no one speaks up, I _will_ be telling Danny.”

Surprisingly, Dan was the one to speak first. “ _Well_ , this little idiot decided that it was a good idea to try and make breakfast-”

“You helped, don’t exclude yourself!”

“‘I tried to stop her, but she insisted and forced me to help her-”

“I did _not_!”

“-which resulted in this disaster of a breakfast because it seems she inherited Ma’s terrible cooking.”

“Oh, because you’re so much better than me,” Dani rolled her eyes. She turned her eyes to the unamused Jazz and added, “He was the one that decided to ditch the entire cookbook and ‘ _do our own thing_ ’ despite knowing we needed it!”

Jazz raised a brow at that. “Why would you do that? You could’ve avoided this mess entirely.”

Dan scowled (pouted) and pointedly looked away. “I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

If Dan was being shy about this, that meant it inevitably had something to do with Danny. Only her brother and Dani can get him to act so immaturely, and Dani was right there with him. 

“No,” she agreed. “But do you really want me to tell Danny you were being an immature brat when you can just avoid me telling him entirely?”

After a minute of tense silence, Dani caved first. She mumbled something under her breath, and Jazz had to lean a little closer to comprehend the muttered words.

“You… wanted to make him breakfast-in-bed?” Jazz swallowed a giggle, trying to hide a smile as the realization came to her.

Dani nodded meekly, and she could see Dan’s scowl twitching. What was so important about today that they wanted to make him breakfast? They hadn’t caused any mayhem lately, and Danny’s birthday had passed months ago… 

“Oh my god, this is for Mother’s Day, isn’t it?”

Dani flushed a bright pink, floating down as though she was too embarrassed to stay up. Dan simply crossed his arms and looked away, but that was enough to confirm her suspicions.

“Oh my god,” she laughed, startling the duo. Her irritation at the mess melted away momentarily. “You guys are adorable!”

Dani’s blush darkened, and Jazz could’ve _sworn_ there were hints of green on Dan’s cheeks. 

“It’s not funny!” Dani pouted. “We ruined it, and this place is a mess! What are we gonna do now?”

“It’s only nine, it’ll be a while before Danny wakes up,” Jazz sighed. “You have enough time to clean all this up and restart. I’ll even help you this time.”

“Really?” Dani looked up from between her bangs.

“ _Only_ if you get this done,” Jazz repeated sternly.

“Might as well not do it, then,” Dan crossed his arms. “What’s the point if we didn’t do it?”

“You want to make this day good for him, don’t you?” Jazz asked, knowing his answer already.

And just as she expected, Dan didn’t argue further.

“Now, get to work!”

* * *

When Danny woke up, it was to the smell of pancakes and… smoke?

With a gasp, he shot up. He looked frantically for the fire, but all he found was the shy form of Dani standing at his door, shuffling her feet. Dan was beside her, his face twisted in a small scowl that Danny has learned to read as his nervous face.

“Uh, good morning?” Danny greeted awkwardly. 

“More like afternoon,” Dan rolled his eyes. “You take forever to wake up, damn.”

“It’s a weekend, I’m allowed to sleep in,” he retaliated. He made move to get up, but he stopped when Dani suddenly yelled, “Wait!”

Danny paused. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, uh, nothing, it’s just that… we, um…”

“We made you breakfast,” Dan was the one to clarify, surprisingly. 

Danny raised a brow at his unusually upfront behavior. Dani was acting strangely shy as well. Normally, it was the other way around. He had to admit, it was kind of cute. Then, he comprehended the words being said. “You made me breakfast?” He asked in surprise.

“Y-Yeah,” Dani answered. They stepped aside from the doorway, and Danny’s eyes fell on a floating tray of food. There looked to be a small vase in it too…

“Aw, you guys,” Danny smiled. Dan and Dani made him breakfast? And they looked so shy about it, too. Danny’s heart threatened to melt a little. The gesture was more touching than he thought it would be. “You didn’t have to, really.”

Dan floated the tray closer, plopping it on Danny’s lap without warning. “We really didn’t.”

“Dan!” Dani finally snapped out of her shy trance. “Don’t listen to him, Mom. We _both_ wanted to.”

“Really?” His cheeks burned a little.

“Uh-huh!” Dani floated up, dropping herself next to him on the bed. “We figured since it was Mother’s Day and all-”

“It’s Mother’s Day?” Danny interrupted. 

“How is it that _we’re_ the ones that know this, and not you?” Dan rolled his eyes, yet his actions contradicted the gesture as he, too, joined them on the bed, sitting at the foot of it.

“I just… I didn’t expect you guys to do anything for today,” he explained, observing the tray as he spoke. The breakfast was a simple plate of three stacked pancakes, with a piece of butter and maple syrup spilling over the edges. There were even a few strawberries on the side.

“Mom, of course, we did,” Dani frowned. “Did you think we wouldn’t appreciate you today, of all days?”

Dan gave him an annoyed look. “Oh, stop looking so pitiful. We did it because we wanted to make you happy, not because we wanted you to glower in self-depreciation.”

“I hate to agree with the brute,” Dani sighed exaggeratedly, which Danny was sure was just to piss off Dan. “But he’s right. We wanted to make this a good day for you. Sometimes you really don’t know your own worth, Mom.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Danny uttered, trying to find the right words. Here were his two kids that he’s grown to love and care for over the past year, and they were wishing him a happy Mother’s Day? Even Dan, who would rather die than blatantly tell him he cares for Danny? 

“You could start with a ‘thank you’,” Dan suggested teasingly. “Do you know how hard it is to make pancakes from _scratch_?”

“Is that why I smell smo-”

“Ahaha, what are you talking about, Mom!” Dani interrupted loudly with a nervous laugh. “Nothing happened! Nothing at all!”

“But-”

“You just woke up, you’re just sleepy,” Dan added, strangely eager to brush off the topic. 

Danny narrowed his eyes at their responses, but let them get away with it for now. After all, they went through all this trouble for him, and if they inherited the Fenton genes right, then it was _definitely_ a tough task.

“Alright,” Danny relented with a sigh.

Dani heaved what sounded suspiciously like a sigh of relief. Reaching out, she grabbed a strawberry from the plate and relaxed against Danny’s side. It was an intimately familiar gesture, something they’ve done even before this whole ‘Ghost Mom’ thing, so Danny simply let her be and munched on his pancakes.

Dan frowned at them. “Are you always this touchy, Twerp?”

“You’re just jealous,” Dani stuck out her tongue very maturely.

Danny cut in before another argument could break out. “Cut it out, you guys. Can’t we just enjoy the moment?”

“Oh, sure, _you_ enjoy it, while I-”

“Dan, come here,” Danny gestured with his hand, urging him closer.

Dan scowled but scooted closer. As soon as he was close enough, Danny steeled his nerves and placed a chaste kiss to Dan’s brow. Dan froze in surprise, unsure of this new gesture. He’s seen Danny do it to Dani a hundred times, but Danny has always been a little more awkward with his maternal behavior around Dan. Dan never outwardly asked for his affections, but he could begrudgingly admit that he was often jealous of Dani. 

Dan remained frozen for a moment until he registered what happened. Dani giggled as she watched a bright green blush burn across his face, and even his fiery hair flamed up even more.

Danny, blushing as well, spoke hesitantly, “Was that okay? I know you’re not Dani, but you seemed like you wanted something, too, and I just thought-”

“It was fine,” Dan finally grunted, even though his core was singing with joy. To his core, his very being, this meant that he had somehow pleased Danny, someone he saw as a mother of sorts (goddamn ghost instincts). Not that he’d ever tell Danny that. For a second, all he felt was content warmth, but he had an image to uphold, so he wiped away any goopy fondness that must’ve shown on his face, judging by Dani’s shameless giggling.

“Oh my god, you actually _melted_ ,” Dani laughed.

Danny pinched her arm in response. “Stop that, Dani.”

“Don’t you have something to give Ma, Twerp?” Dan glanced at her pointedly. 

Dani gasped. “You’re right!”

Floating away from Danny, she rummaged through her designated drawer. After realizing how much she loved to hoard things, it was inevitable.

She finally found what she was looking for. It looked to be a sheet of paper, but she flipped it over before Danny could guess what it was. “What is it?” Danny asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Dan grinned. “It’s-”

Dani shushed Dan loudly. “It’s my present, shut it, Dan!”

Danny smiled. Whether they knew it or not, their little banter wasn’t fooling anyone. “So, what’s this present, Dani?”

Suddenly very shy, Dani flushed. “Well, I noticed you really like to hang NASA posters, and I… kind of wanted to add something to your collection. It’s not exactly perfect, and you don’t have to hang it but-”

“I’m sure I’ll love it anyway, Dani,” Danny reassured her.

“Yeah, you’re Mommy’s Girl, of course, he will,” Dan rolled his eyes.

“Dan,” Danny gave him a warning look.

“Fine,” he pouted. “You’re no fun, it’s just harmless teasing.”

Turning his attention back to Dani, he smiled, “So, lemme see it!”

Dani hesitated before she handed it to him. Danny took the paper gently, trying not to add any more creases to the wrinkled notebook paper. He expected a lot of things, maybe a rendition of a poster, or a sketch of the moon, but when he flipped it over, it was none of that. It was better.

There in the center of the paper was what looked to be an attempt to draw a boy in an astronaut suit, reaching out a hand to touch the starry sky above him. The boy had glowing white hair that stood out among the swirling pinks, purples, and blues, of the space around him. More eye-catching was the shining green eyes and the white aura around him.

It wasn’t something an artist like DaVinci would praise, but to Danny, who’s throat was suddenly choked with waves of emotion, it was the best goddamn drawing he’s ever seen. His eyes traveled all over the paper, and they finally settled on the bottom text made of glowing stars that spelled out ‘Happy Mother’s Day!’.

“Dani,” he choked out, his eyes suddenly feeling very wet. “You drew this for me?”

Taking in his overwhelmed reaction, Dani nodded meekly. Dan would’ve normally teased her relentlessly for this sudden change in behavior, but he knew how much effort she’d put into that drawing, so he kept silent.

“It’s… amazing,” Danny said, because that was all the vocabulary he could access right now. “This is amazing, Dani. This must’ve taken so long…”

“I-It wasn’t much,” she tried for a cocky grin. 

“Didn’t you spend all of yesterday and before that working on this?” Dan raised a brow at her.

“Dan!” she hissed. But she couldn’t stay annoyed for long because Danny was gaping at her in wonder. “You spent two days on a single drawing, just for me?”

“Y-Yeah, I guess,” she mumbled. She lifted her gaze from her feet and asked, “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” Danny repeated uselessly. “I love it! I’m definitely hanging this!”

“You don’t have to!” Dani said, but Danny could see the way a pleased blush made its way to her cheeks and ears. Dan saw it, too, and this time he _really_ had to stifle a grin.

“I will anyway,” Danny insisted. “This is beautiful, and the world needs to know I have the world’s best kids.”

Dan almost startled at him being included. He wanted to say he was worried that Dani would be annoyed he was included in her glory, but a small part of him really enjoyed being included.

Dani, on the other hand, smiled giddily for two reasons. One, Danny had _praised_ her work. He said he _loved_ it! Vlad had never praised her like this, but Danny offered praise like an endless stream of love. Two, he had called them “the world’s best kids”. Danny may be their Mom, but he had a hard time shifting his perspective to fit their image sometimes. For him to freely acknowledge this… it sent unbidden joy straight to her core, and she was sure Dan agreed.

“God, you’re so sappy, Ma,” Dan groaned despite the small pleased smile that made its way across his face.

“Can you blame me?” Danny grinned at them. He set down the paper gingerly, “I’ve barely started the day, and the first thing I wake up to is you two appreciating me on Mother’s Day.”

“You’re exaggerating this,” Dan said.

“Not really,” he denied. “It’s one thing to have close friends, but it’s another to be loved by your pseudo-ghost-kids.”

Dani grinned. “Jeez, Mom, keep this up and I might actually self-combust.”

“What a shame that would be,” Dan rolled his eyes.

“You’d miss me, admit it.”

“No way in hell, Twerp.”

“You know what? You keep using that as an insult, but at least with this size, I get to cuddle Mom more frequently!”

“What makes you think I want cuddles? You can have all his attention, I don’t care.”

“Then what was that blush back there when he kissed you?”

“I didn’t blush!”

“You so did!”

Danny rolled his eyes as the banter started again, but with all that’s happened, all he could feel was warm contentment deep in his core. So, he relaxed against his bed, and went back to his breakfast, the banter acting as a comfortable background noise that grounded him to the truth that, yes, this was his reality.

He glanced back at the drawing Dani had made for him, and couldn’t help the smile that came to him.

‘Happy Mother’s Day’ indeed.


	4. Illuminating Insight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Danny doubts the nature of Dani’s “joke”, he goes to his most trusted exposition-dumper for answers. Ft. A gratuitous amount of Clockdad :D.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the much-needed explanation chapter for “how tf did Danny become a single ghost mom?” Well, there you go!

“Clockwork?”

Danny looked around the vast space of cogs and gears, the echoing sound of their rotation strangely soothing his nerves. He’d come here because if there was anyone Danny went to in times of doubt, it was Clockwork. He could’ve gone to Frostbite, of course, but he had followed his core’s guidance, and it led him here.

An aura entered his peripheral senses, something wise and calm like the jasmine tea his mother liked so much, and Danny immediately put a name to it. “Clockwork!” He turned to him.

“That I am, Daniel,” Clockwork chuckled in lieu of a proper greeting. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit this time? Here to tamper with the timelines yet again?” He raised a brow.

Danny laughed, his hand reaching for the back of his neck. “What, _no_. I would _never_.”

Clockwork smiled amusedly at his antics, and Danny’s core thrummed pleasantly at that. It’s been happening a lot around him and Frostbite, actually. Maybe he could ask him about that after he’s done with his questions.

“Of course not,” Clockwork agreed. “Then, is something wrong? You look distressed.”

“You could say that,” Danny sighed. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“This wouldn’t happen to be about your new young charges, would it?”

Danny blinked in surprise. “How did you know that?” 

“I’m the Master of Time, Daniel,” Clockwork said as he swiped at a few of the floating screens. “I foresaw that you would come searching for me, after all.”

“Oh, yeah,” he felt kind of stupid for asking that. Of course, Clockwork knew! He was _Clockwork_.

“Well, aren’t you going to ask your question?” Clockwork finally turned his attention back to him. Danny felt a blush wash over his cheeks as he realized he was just standing there like an idiot.

“Right, right,” he rubbed at his chest, a nervous habit he’d developed that he, for some reason, only did when he was in his ghost form. How could he word this without sounding completely ridiculous?

Clockwork floated closer, his gaze never once leaving him, and a part of Danny relaxed at that. Suddenly the words came easier. “Well, two weeks ago, Dani and I were just, you know, hanging out, when she teasingly called me ‘Mom’. I was pretty much nagging her to eat something before she played, so I guess it made a little sense, even if it was a little weird coming from _Dani_ -”

“Daniel, you’re rambling,” Clockwork interrupted gently, an amused smile at his lips.

“Sorry,” he caught himself. “Anyway, so, I brushed it off as a joke because she was probably just teasing me, but then she did again the next day! And the day after that! And before I knew it she was calling me Mom the whole two weeks!”

Danny probably sounded hysterical if Clockwork’s growing amusement was anything to go by, but he kept going. “Even worse, Dan has picked up on it! I asked her what it was about, but she just said it was a joke, but for a joke, this has gone on for a long time! And Dan wouldn’t stop either!”

He flushed as Clockwork chuckled. _Wow, very eloquent description there, Fenton._

“It seems to me that this is more than a little problem,” Clockwork pointed out. His form switched to middle-aged, but Danny was used to the shifting by now and instead focused on his words. “A little problem with a simple answer.”

“Really?” Danny asked. “Am I just worrying about this too much? Is it just a joke?”

Clockwork smirked, but the soft hand that reached out to pat his hair soothingly spoke of something gentler. “You are certainly a worrier, Daniel, but rest assured that this time, your worrying is not over nothing.”

“Then what is it?” he frowned in thought. “What reason would they have to do that? Is that her way of asking me for help? Is there something she can’t talk about? Oh, Ancients-”

“None of what you’re thinking,” Clockwork shook his head. “It’s actually good news, but only if you choose to see it as that.”

Danny cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“Let me show you,” he answered. Reaching out, Clockwork grabbed his hand and guided it to the center of his chest, right above the internal clock ticking away. As soon as his fingers brushed over the area, his entire hand was tingling, but the sensation was oddly pleasant, and it sent a rush of _warmth comfort love_ -

Danny gasped at the rush of sudden emotion going straight to his core, but something prevented him from pulling away, and it wasn’t Clockwork’s hand. “What… is this?”

“What did you feel?” Clockwork asked. Danny closed his eyes, trying to focus on the overwhelming rush. It feels like… like he was holding the emotions on his hands. Like he could _touch_ them. Danny has never had anyone touch his own core so intimately before, he couldn’t imagine how violating it must feel to Clockwork. Danny started to pull away, but Clockwork’s hand on his wrist stopped him.

“Clockwork,” Danny whispered. “What is this?”

“This, Daniel,” He smiled, “Is what I’m feeling right now.”

“What?” He looked up in surprise. 

“What you just did was essentially tapping into my core’s emotional readings,” Clockwork explained. “Only certain ghosts can do this.”

“What, so this is some new ghost power?” Danny asked. He didn’t _feel_ any different lately.

“Not at all,” he replied. “What we just did, only certain ghosts can do that because of the nature of the relationship that’s required.”

Relationship? Danny thought back to how this friendship started. It started out as a sort of mentorship, but then it started becoming something warmer, more familiar. The closest example he could think of was-

“Wait, _we_?” Danny interrupted himself.

Clockwork smiled mysteriously, “Yes, _we_. When you felt my emotions, I felt yours as well, and it was a perfect match of my own.”

“How is that possible? Only I was touching yours.”

“Yes, but when you did that, it created a connection between our cores that allowed us to exchange information.” Clockwork said. “Were you to do that with another ghost, you likely wouldn’t be able to get a read on them like you just did.”

“Because of that relationship you mentioned?” Danny guessed.

“Exactly,” He said with pride in his voice, and that weird warmth came back when he heard it.

“So, what exactly is this required relationship? Like a mentor/student thing?” Clockwork shook his head at that. Danny racked at his brain but came up empty. What else could it-

Oh.

_ Oh _ . 

Danny gasped. “No way.”

“Not what you were expecting, was it?” Clockwork teased, or, he did in his own strange Clockwork-y way. Danny was pretty sure anyone else wouldn’t have caught that tone.

Which just made this new discovery all the more real. 

“You’re saying that this is some weird father/son thing?” Danny gaped. “But that makes no sense! I have two human parents that I love despite what they do, I shouldn’t be feeling like this toward someone else!”

“You’re forgetting something crucial, Daniel,” Clockwork sighed. Through their connected cores, he could feel the quick flash of hurt, and Danny winced when he realized he was the cause of that. “You’re not the standard ghost, you’re a halfa. That means that, no matter how much your ghost core yearns to act on its instincts, it will do so in a manner that doesn’t unravel the balance between your two halves.” 

“That… makes sense, I guess,” Danny pulled away his hand. “If I already have parents, why does my ghost half want a ghost parent, too?”

“Answer me this: do your parents cater to your needs as a _ghost_?” 

“Of course not!” Danny scowled. “They’re ghost hunters, they’d shoot me on sight!”

“If they were to care for your ghost half the same way they care for your human half, this desire, and this connection, would have never formed. But they actively hunt you, and as a ghost, you do not trust them. In order to remain balanced, your ghost half needed someone to care for your other self as well.” Clockwork gestured to one of the screens behind them, continuing, “There are timelines where I do not play a role in your life because your parents accepted your ghost half earlier. But because they have yet to do that now, you needed something to even out your already delicate balance.”

Danny could feel an oncoming headache from all the information he’d just absorbed, but he tried to make sense of it. So, Clockwork was, like, his ghost dad or something? It explained the alien sensations that he felt around him. 

(He ignored the pang of _wrongness_ he’d felt when Clockwork said that list bit. Something in his core ached at the horrible thought, and he couldn’t help but take comfort in the fact that Clockwork was right here. He could vaguely feel his core, even with this distance between them.)

Clockwork let him mull over the revelation in silence, something he greatly appreciated. Now that he could think clearly to himself without the confusion (emotions), he came to a solid conclusion.

“Then, I guess I have three parents now,” Danny smiled at the now older Clockwork, and the smile that he received in return warmed his chilly core.

Clockwork shook his head, still smiling. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Wait, I’ve also noticed that I felt something similar to this around Frostbite, does that mean…?”

“Not all parents in the ghost zone know each other personally like humans do,” Clockwork said. “In fact, it is very rare for a family here to be related by ‘blood’, as you would say. The process of reproduction doesn’t guarantee that your child will choose you as its parents. Young ghosts, as rare as they are, are free to choose their own parents, which can lead to a situation similar to yours.” He smiled at Danny at the end, like he was sharing some kind of inside joke.

“That’s… that’s really sweet, actually,” Danny grinned. “So no ghosts are bound to their blood family?”

“No, and that’s why bonds like ours are intimate enough to allow the touching of cores.”

Danny huffed out a laugh. “I can’t believe this. All this time I’ve had _four_ parents? Man, wait ‘til I tell the kids-”

That’s when he froze, and his words registered in his head. Clockwork’s explanation, Dani and Dan’s running “joke”, and not to mention the strange sense of _something_ in his core every time they smiled at him or did something goofy…

Oh my god. 

“ _Oh my god_ ,” He gasped suddenly, a stark contrast to Clockwork’s amused smirk. “OH MY GOD, I’M A PARENT!”

“That you are,” He grinned. “Congratulations, Daniel.”

“Clockwork, I’m literally fifteen! I’m barely juggling my schoolwork with my superhero career, how can I handle two kids? How does it even make sense? I understand Dani, kind of, but Dan is, like, twenty-four. Way older than me and-”

“I believe he’s ten years old by your standards, actually,” Clockwork cut in with a smirk.

“Huh.” Danny’s mind blanked for a whole three seconds. Dan, ten? What-

Clockwork looked utterly unsympathetic as he explained, “Dan was only born as a result of your core fusing with Plasmius’, which is how all ghost children are born, though the fusion is usually done with a smaller portion. Dan has only existed for ten years thus far.”

Okay, that makes sen-

Wait.

“I HAD A BABY WITH VLAD?”

“Two,” he corrected. “Danielle was born as a result of you being cloned, wasn’t she? He had to give her his own ectoplasm to stabilize her at the time.”

The rush of burning ectoplasm (blood?) going straight to his core and face left him blushing a bright green, and suddenly Danny wanted to dig himself into a hole and never come out. Him and Vlad? What the hell. _What the hell._

“D-Does that mean-”

“Worry not, young Daniel,” Clockwork laughed. “The act of reproduction is, ironically, not as romanticized as it is for you humans. Most ghosts reproduce simply to keep the population going, and it’s very rare that it’s done with romantic intent.”

“Oh,” he sighed in relief. That didn’t quite erase the scar that he’d never lose, but it did soothe it a little. He couldn’t even _imagine_ being associated with Vlad like that. The thought alone was disgusting and, frankly, very creepy.

The feeling of warmth on his face returned him to reality, and he belatedly realized that it was Clockwork’s hand. Touches like this should feel awkward, but this just reminded him of Mom’s soft caresses, something he would never confess to liking.

“You’ve already proven to be a wonderful parent to them, Daniel,” Clockwork reassured him with a smile. “Danielle is a wanderer at heart, and yet she hasn’t left in the last three months she’s been staying with you. Doesn’t that just mean that you’ve made her finally feel like she has a home?”

Danny nodded weakly. “I guess, but I… I don’t think I’m ready for something like this. I’m only fifteen, I could mess this up so easily. I’m surprised I haven’t already.”

“You put yourself on too low a pedestal. Compared to all his other timelines, Dan has been surprisingly tame,” he joked, and Danny cracked a smile at that. “You’re doing well, Daniel. Don’t let your self-doubt cloud your judgment. If you weren’t good to them, their cores would have never pulled them to you. And if you weren’t capable, you would have never reciprocated enough to seal the bond.”

The lump in his throat eased just enough for him to swallow, and Danny exhaled softly. “You really think so?”

“Undoubtedly.”

Danny flushed, and the connecting touch sent the _pride love certainty_ straight to his wavering core. The reassurances steadied its thrumming, leaving behind a soft and steady thrumming of _calm joy gratitude_.

“Thanks,” he smiled shyly.

Clockwork pulled away, but the reassurance never left. “Of course, Daniel. It’s why I’m here. To guide and care for you.”

Before he could stop himself, Danny surged forward, wrapping his skinny arms around Clockwork in an attempt to hug him. Clockwork froze in surprise, but he eventually returned the action, his arms a comforting and steady anchor.

Danny broke the hug first, feeling very awkward after a minute of silence. Then he remembered something.

“Oh, come on! Even my own core thinks I’m more motherly than fatherly?”

Clockwork blinked at the outburst and laughed. “Well, the ghost definition of mothers and fathers depends more on behavior rather than gender, so I presume that your behavior leaned more toward that of a mother.”

Danny grumbled, crossing his arms. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“If that’s what you want to believe,” he hummed.

Danny spent a few more hours with Clockwork, and by the time he had to go, his thoughts were a lot more organized than they were when he first arrived. Thinking of all that he’s learned (except that Vlad bit, he thought with a shiver), Danny couldn’t help the smile that came to him.

He had his gremlins waiting for him, after all.


	5. Familial Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vlad meets his son in the worst way possible. He's about to learn an important lesson: Don't mess with the Phantom family. But is Vlad the only one that needs saving in this scenario?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, I suck at fight scenes, so I hope the overall thing is worth the read because I tried very hard to make it good. Apologies if it’s not.

It started as a normal day. And by normal, Dan meant that any other family would have gone insane by now. Loud banter, ectoplasmic blasts, burned food… anyone outside the Phantom family would have disowned him and Dani by now. But Danny was annoyingly sentimental, so he just let them be most days. 

Not that Dan spent some days worrying the former would happen or anything. No matter what his annoying twerp of a sister said, he did not, in fact, cherish those chaotic moments for the exasperated love sprinkled in-between. It was just the chaos, not the sappy family nonsense. Really. 

Dan was perfectly content keeping up that attitude, even if his own heart contradicted what he just said. No one needed to know about the way his core thrummed pleasantly every time Danny and Dani sat casually on his shoulders, or the times Danny thanked him for allowing their perch (Dani, that brat, never thanks him). Those were things he preferred to keep to himself. 

The amount of smug teasing he would get if Dani knew he actually gave a damn about them was not worth it.

But there were times he couldn’t put on that mask. 

The moment he felt his core flood with _anxiousness worry fear_ , Dan knew it would be one of those times. Core readings like this meant that this wasn’t about himself, but those his core actively tied itself to. This wasn’t a normal tingle, this felt more like a transmission from one of those connections.

His family was in trouble.

He flew as quickly as he could toward the source of the distress. He couldn’t slow himself down, it felt like his primal instincts had taken the front seat and pushed aside common sense. So he followed his core and let it guide him.

And when he arrived, it was with a screeching halt.

At first sight, the area was relatively put-together, no rubble or destruction. Then, his ears worked through the noise of the _pain_. It sounded like… laughter. A familiar laugh, one that felt like nails to a chalkboard. He knew that laugh well, it haunted his dreams sometimes.

Vlad Plasmius.

He was floating high in the air, but he wasn’t alone. It looked like he was holding someone by the neck, and that’s when his core started up again because that was _Dani._

Vlad was _choking his sister._

His hands lit up in a moment of pure reflex and instinct. He was charging before he knew what he was doing. Vlad felt the new presence, but he didn’t have time to react before a glowing green fist met his face, blasting him into a building. 

Dan ignored him and turned to see Dani was falling, unable to support herself. His core raced in alarm as he hurried down, catching her before she could hit the street. He cradled her in his arms in a moment of uncharacteristic gentleness, scanning her scratched and bruised form.

“Twerp,” Dan said, on the verge of a beg he refused to acknowledge. “Come on, this isn’t the time to take a nap, damn it!”

Dani groaned, blinking her eyes open. “Dan?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Dani cracked a grin, sitting up slightly. “T-Took you long enough, jerk.”

Dan heaved a small sigh. If she had enough energy to sass him, then she would be okay. Still, his core screamed in _anger_ at his sister’s pain. It looked like she could barely sit up.

Trying not to irritate any of her injuries, Dan asked, “What happened? Why are you fighting Vlad?”

“More like _he_ attacked _us_ ,” Dani huffed. “Now, put me down. I need to get back at him for-”

“No way,” Dan interjected. “You’re not in any shape to be fighting. You need to rest.”

“I can’t just sit here!” She glared. “Mom gave it his all, I can’t just loiter around when he-”

Wait, Dani had said _“us”_. She said Danny gave it his all, which means-

That same anxiety and fear from before filled his core as he realized who was missing. Dan swallowed, “What do you mean?”

_Where’s Ma?_

Understanding dawned on Dani, and she suddenly looked a lot less determined and more worried. Through their connection, he could feel her pounding fear and anger as she answered, “Vlad… Vlad hit him with something, and next thing I know, he’s de-transforming and falling-” Dani paused, clenching her fists. “I got to him just before…”

 _Just before he died from the fall_.

“He passed out though,” she looked away from Dan’s face, unable to see as his dread turned into something more dangerous. “I hid him in that bank over there because it was safer for him. Dan, he wouldn’t wake up! I didn’t know what to do, so I went to beat the answer out of Vlad, but he overpowered me and-!”

She choked on what suspiciously sounded like a sob. “I couldn’t even protect him, not like he protected me. He kept trying to keep Vlad’s attacks focused on him, but then it became too much for him-”

“Dani,” there must’ve been something in his voice because it had Dani looking up in surprise. She blinked at him through teary green eyes, and Dan had to swallow a snarl as he said, “You did your best, leave the rest to me.”

“But-”

“No,” He replied firmly. He could hear Vlad coming to behind them, and his instincts screamed in alarm as it sensed the ill-intent. No, he had to reassure his sister first. He might be an ass, but he was an ass that cared for her, damn it.

Dani’s eyes widened, and she turned an alarmed gaze to somewhere behind him. Dan grabbed her chin gentler than he expected, and he said, “Ma needs you now. I need you to watch over him while I deal with Vlad, okay?”

Dani nodded weakly. “Okay.”

Before he could turn his attention to Vlad, however, a small hand reached out to rest on his clenched fists. Dani was looking at him with pleading eyes as she whispered, “Remember what you promised us.”

Dan hesitated. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but he couldn’t promise her those words. Not now. He opened his mouth to respond, but got cut off as his instincts suddenly made him dodge a blast of ectoplasmic energy.

The car behind them exploded with the force of the blast, and Dani flinched as she realized that it could have hit them if Dan hadn’t acted. Dan had to ignore imminent danger because she was _whining_ like a baby.

Meanwhile, all that concerned Dan was that the blast could have hit Dani. That blast could have hit his _defenseless sister_. And Danny was already out because of him too-

The rage in his core bubbled over, and a loud snarl escaped him, making Dani jump and Vlad raise a brow.

“Dani,” he growled, “ _Go_.”

Not wanting to add to his growing anger, Dani obeyed wordlessly and ran toward the bank.

Vlad smirked, “What’s this? Another one of Daniel’s ridiculous friends?” Then, his eyes widened slightly as he saw the DP on his chest. “Or perhaps a student?”

“How about ‘none of your business’, old man!” Dan yelled, sending a large blast toward Vlad. 

He dodged quickly, and it left a large crater in place of where it hit. Vlad grinned, laughing, “You don’t fool around, do you? Very good! Perhaps you can serve as a better challenge. My fights with Daniel are starting to be quite the-”

_BOOM!_

Vlad floated up just as the blast hit where he was once standing. He refused to be intimidated by this ghost, no matter how explosive he got. Just who was this ghost? To be so angry on Danielle’s behalf, and that symbol, too… 

“Temper,” He snarked. Holding out a hand, Vlad formed a giant fist with his energy. “That almost killed me, and we all know how Daniel feels about that.” He released the hit, ready to watch the ghost flounder just like Danielle, but that didn’t happen.

Dan stood his ground, seemingly unaffected as he stopped the punch with a bigger punch of his own. The energy clashed for just a second before Vlad’s energy was engulfed in flame and reversed toward him.

“Oh, butter biscuits!” he cried. The force sent him flying into a billboard high up, and he groaned as he collapsed to the roof.

That energy somehow overpowered his own, and Vlad had spent 20 years developing that much power! How did this random ghost have enough power to just reverse it? It was like the power was his own-

The realization hit him just as Dan reached him at an alarming speed, and a series of blasts sent him backward again. Vlad formed a shield in an attempt to protect himself and found, with growing fear, that it wasn’t holding at all. 

One Dan multiplied into four, and they simultaneously aimed a beam at Vlad’s crouched form. He took great satisfaction in hearing his pained scream.

“How is this possible?” Vlad cried. “I can _feel_ how young you are, how are you so powerful?”

Dan grinned wolfishly, but the energy never left his fists. “I guess you could say you contributed to that.”

“What-”

Green ectoplasm wrapped around Vlad before he could finish, lifting him toward Dan. Vlad shouldn’t show fear before an enemy, but he could feel his core faltering as the energy suddenly felt all too familiar.

“That’s impossible,” Vlad gasped. His own energy wasn’t cooperating with him, and now Vlad was defenseless. The ghost before him, his _child_ , simply snarled, tightening the energy around his chest until breathing became painful. “I-I never bonded with anyone-”

“You didn’t,” Dan’s voice was quiet, like an animal on a hunt, and Vlad, for once, felt like the prey. He could feel the energy traveling up, uncomfortably close to his neck. “Not in this timeline, anyway.”

“I created you, how can you hurt your father like this?” Vlad tried to play the pity card, the same one that he used to gain Danielle’s devotion, but his statement only seemed to anger the ghost, his red eyes glowing dangerously.

Like cotton in his ears, everything blurred around them as Dan’s core shook with outrage at the statement. A haze fell over him, and suddenly all he could hear was his own harsh breathing.

“Let’s make one thing clear,” Dan whispered, his eyes burning. “You may have helped create me, but you are _not_ my father, and you are certainly not Dani’s. Don’t you dare try and be a father now, you’re ten years too late, _pops_.”

“I could still raise you!” Vlad coughed, the pressure on his chest increasing. “I can make you powerful-”

He gasped loudly when pain suddenly overwhelmed him _everywhere_. The pressure that was once reserved to his chest now focused on his core, and Vlad realized with no little fear that there was _a hand_ around his _core_. He could feel it squeezing, threatening to break-

“D-Don’t do this,” He begged. “Shattering cores is a high crime-”

“Do I look like I care?” Dan drawled. He sounded entirely uncaring, and Vlad knew at that moment that he wasn’t bluffing at all. “You made the mistake of hurting my family. If you want to blame anyone for your demise, blame yourself.”

“Please! No-!”

“Goodbye, _Dad_ ,” Dan smiled maniacally, a strange sense of calm apathy flowing through him as he reveled in Vlad’s terrified begging. He called for the burning _rage fury anger_ in his core, ready to be unleashed-

“DAN!”

Dan froze, a snarl twisting his features. He knew that voice, he _yearned_ for it. But now, as he turned to meet Danny’s wide blue eyes, all he could feel was dread at being caught like this.

“Ma,” Dan uttered in surprise.

Danny looked terrible, with bleeding scratches littering his body. He was leaning against an equally hurt Dani, panting as though that one burst of energy was too much on him. His anger almost rose again, but one look from Danny’s horrified eyes put out the fire quickly. The only time Dan had seen that look on him was when he’d first met Danny, when he was high on power and the bitterness of being abandoned had corrupted his core.

He was supposed to be different. He was supposed to get better, to heal now that he finally had someone there for him-

But he’d let down the only people in the world who gave a damn about him.

Because of Vlad. His energy started up, about to respond to the new signals.

“Dan, come down. We can talk about this calmly, just like I taught you,” Danny’s voice was tired and weak, but so desperate, and it pierced Dan’s core despite how far away he was. He wanted so badly to go down and drown in Danny’s accepting warmth, but his core still wanted him to _protectprotectprotect_ -

“Dan, please!” It was Dani this time, and he could hear the desperation in her voice loud and clear. Bold, self-assured Dani was _begging_ , and Dan had done that to her. Not Vlad.

“Vlad hurt you,” he finally spoke. “Give me one reason not to end him right now. He’s constantly hurting you, and Dani barely escaped alive from him! Why shouldn’t I do this? I’m trying to protect my family from a menace that should have been gone a long time ago!” His voice rose toward the end, and anyone else would have run away in fear of his rage, but not his family.

Danny didn’t flinch. If anything, he just looked sadder, like he _pitied_ Dan. He didn’t want his pity! Can’t they see he was doing this for them? Can’t they see he’s trying to protect them? His core thrummed wildly and irregularly, and Dan could feel the overwhelming blanket of rage coming over him again.

But before it could happen, something put out the flames. It was a soothing and calm essence, something so warm and comforting, and Dan was overcome with the urge to just let it wash over him and embrace him. But he… he was doing something important, wasn’t he? If he did this, he might make them happy-

The essence _tugged_ , and core moved with it. Dan turned to look at his family again, and was surprised to see that despite remaining human, both their eyes were glowing green with effort. He could see the way the tightly clenched the other’s hand, and something childish inside him wanted to reach out and join the contact.

Dan shook his head. “Stop that! Ma, just let me _do_ this!”

“No!” Danny argued. His eyes burned fiercely. “I won’t let you ruin yourself like this again. Don’t you remember what happened the last time you killed him?”

 _Not just Vlad,_ he clenched his jaw, _you, too, Ma._

“That’s different,” he said, turning his eyes to his terrified prey. He looked Vlad in the eye as he spoke, “The only reason I was like that was because _he_ corrupted me. If I kill him, I can- _we_ can-”

“What about your family?”

Vlad gasped as the hand in his chest finally loosened. Dan faltered, the words like a slap to his face. He lowered his hand, moving Vlad with him, and he turned to fully face Danny. “I _am_ doing this for you!”

“You’re not!” Danny glared, and he could see Dani was shocked by this sudden anger as well. “If you were doing this for us, you’d listen to what we’re saying! This is not going to make me happy, this will only remind me of what you used to be, and-!” He paused, looking away from Dan’s devastated face. “I… I’ve been trying so hard to forget that, Dan, and you’ve gotten so much better! You might not act like you care, but I know that we’re important to you, and that’s helped you become a better person, someone I could be _proud_ of!”

“You’re… proud of me?” was all he could manage, the sudden wave of _desperation fear dread regret_ overwhelming him. 

“Of course, I am,” he smiled, and Dan’s hand trembled as his grip relaxed. Danny still had it in him to smile at him? But why did the emotions he was getting say another story? Why did Danny still feel so _scared_?

“You’re so stupid,” Dani laughed weakly. “How can you not see that? Even a blind man could see the way you preen under Mom. You _know_ this, why are you so surprised?”

“I…” 

Their eyes were so hopeful even as their cores begged him to _come back_ , and Dan’s own eyes softened, returning to their regular red. Could they really just let this go? Could they still be proud of him after all this? They… really wanted him around, even after seeing this beast inside him? 

_Of course, they do_ , his core supplied. _They’re_ ** _family._**

The thought cleared the murky fog in his head, and suddenly it felt like he could breathe through the vanishing smoke. His core settled to a slow thrum, and, like a heavy weight off his shoulders, he dropped Vlad.

The man gasped for breath, but Dan ignored him as he floated down slowly. He could hear two loud sighs of relief, and before he even touched the ground, two warm bodies wrapped around his torso tightly, squeezing the life out of him in tight desperate grips. His arms moved of their volition as they each wrapped around them.

“You stupid _dumbass_ of a brother,” Dani said into the mass of muscles. 

He wanted to respond, but he couldn’t find the right words, not now under the new warmth and rush of _love family gratitude_ ** _pride_ **-

“Thank you,” Danny whispered. He squeezed a little tighter, “Thank you for coming back to us.”

Dan choked on the lump in his throat, “Don’t get sappy with me now.”

He could feel their matching grins as they laughed at his typical response. “You can't get out of this one, Dan,” Dani teased. “Your reputation is gone, sorry.”

He sighed, and it felt like a fresh breath of air. “You goddamn brats.”

They stayed like that for another minute, but they eventually had to pull away. As soon as he moved to remove his arms, the weight in their legs crumbled, and they fell into his arms as Dan kneeled in order to accommodate for himself. Right, he almost forgot that they were injured.

“You idiots, you’re hurt, what are you doing hugging when you need to rest?” Dan asked with a sigh.

Dani grinned, “It got you to melt, so no regrets here. Mom?”

“Nope, none here,” Danny replied, smiling big and wide.

Fearing he would say something ridiculously sappy, Dan spoke with his actions instead and lifted them effortlessly. Dani in his arms, and Danny around his head. Dan groaned, “Why do I always end up as your personal couch?”

“But you’re so _comfy~_ ,” Dani drawled, melting into the warm mass. She looked so small, so breakable… what a stupid though, he laughed to himself. His sister could do some serious damage if she wanted to, no matter how small she was.

Dani narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you just call me short in your head?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s what you are, Twerp.”

“I swear when we get outta here-”

“Kids,” Danny sighed loudly above them. He pulled Dan’s ear, pulling a groan out of him. “Ma!”

Danny laughed, “It’s just so easy now that I’m all the way up here. I couldn’t help it.”

A small touch to his head made him pause in his response, and Dan realized with a growing blush that it was a kiss. To his head. Ma kissed his head like-

Like he did Dani.

Warmth flooded his core, and he could hear Dani laughing, no doubt at his face that Danny, thankfully, couldn’t see.

“I really am proud of you,” Danny whispered, resting his head comfortably on Dan’s. 

“W-Whatever,” he mumbled. 

Dani parted her lips to tease him some more, but she stopped when she saw something flying off in the distance. They followed her gaze and saw that it was Vlad, who was struggling to keep a steady pace.

Dan stared for a while, and Dani and Danny exchanged nervous glances, waiting for his response. Finally, after a tense minute, Dan exhaled. “He’s not worth it.”

Dani smiled, and Danny leaned forward to kiss to the crown of his head in thanks.

Feeling warm and weightless, surrounded by two beacons of _family love pride_ , Dan smiled, small and genuine, “Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're still reading this? I must've done STH right then XD


	6. Perfect Pandemonium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Dani’s first Christmas with the Phantom family, and that means one thing: matching sweaters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, funny story: this was supposed to be a snippet, like one of those one-word prompts, but it somehow spiraled into 900 territory. Whoops.

“Absolutely not.”

“But Mom!”

“Dani, _no_ ,” came the annoyed response.

“But it's my first Christmas with a real family!”

A beat of silence. And then, a long sigh.

“Fine,” Danny relented. “But don't expect me to like it.”

Dani squealed. “Oh, thank you, Mom! You won't regret this!”

“Yeah, _Ma_ ,” Dan smirked. “It's for your precious little girl after all.”

Danny gave him a nasty look. “You're only saying that because you don't have to do this. I'd like to see how _you_ would like it if you were in my position.”

“What a shame, guess I'll never know,” Dan sighed exaggeratedly.

Dani suddenly looked up, and Dan faltered as he realized she was wearing her ‘I'm up to something and you won't like it’ look. “Actually…”

Danny, catching her drift, let out a laugh. “You have one for him, too, don't you?”

“Yup!” She grinned toothily at Dan, and she knew from spending hours on end with him that he was horrified. Normal people would be hurt by that, but Dani just found it hilarious. “We can’t leave you out, it’s the whole family!”

“No way in hell you little sh-”

“Language!”

“Ma, seriously?” He groaned.

Danny raised a brow. “Just because you _look_ twenty-four, doesn't mean you can act like it.”

Dan grumbled incomprehensibly. Dani interrupted him before he could mouth off again, saying, “Come on, Dan. Please?”

She unleashed her ultimate weapon, the only one that she knew worked on Dan, no matter how much he denied it: the puppy eyes.

Dan tried to glare at her, but it was an empty look, and they both knew it. After a minute too long, he finally answered with a small scowl. “Fine! But never again, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir!” She grinned, and he really couldn't help the softening of his features at her blatant happiness. She must really want this, he sighed to himself. A year ago, he would have scoffed and denied immediately, but now…

Taking in the sight of Dani shoving a pile of cloth at Danny, he could see she was more eager than she let on, if the fact that she was floating was anything to go by. Even Danny, who disliked Christmas, wasn't scowling as much as he shoved the sweater over his head.

It was a little pathetic how soft this little girl made him. Resigning to his fate, Dan forced himself into the sweater and found that it fit him perfectly.

The sound of giggling caught his attention. He turned to question the giggling duo, but Jazz appeared before he could.

“Wow, you actually got them to cooperate,” Jazz said in amusement. “I'm impressed.”

“Thanks!” Dani beamed. “Do you have the camera?”

“Yup,” she lifted it into view. “You guys ready?”

“Wait, you didn't say we'd be taking pictures!” Dan glared at Dani.

“Oops?” She shrugged. “Too late now.”

“Is it too late to blast you across the street you-”

“Dan!” Danny reprimanded. “It's just one picture, don't be a baby about it.”

“I'm not a baby!” Dan replied.

“You're right, even babies don't react like this,” Dani chimed in with a shameless grin. 

“I am _not_ a baby!” He growled. 

“Oh, yeah?” She teased. “Prove it.”

Danny stifled an amused smile. Hook, line, and sinker. Sharing a look with Dani, he knew she was thinking the same thing.

Jazz raised the camera, “Take your positions!”

Ignoring Dan’s grumbling, Dani pulled at his arm. He wanted to argue, but the hopeful look in her eyes, not to mention Danny smiling fondly behind her as though the sight of them is adorable, silenced him. He’ll let her do what she wants, just this once…

Smiling, Jazz said, “Everyone say-”

“Boxy!” Dani cried. 

Danny couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, and even Dan cracked a smile at that.

_Snap!_

Jazz lowered her hands, waiting for the polaroid to come out. Dani floated toward her eagerly, “How did it turn out? Was it good? Lemme see-”

“Okay, okay,” she laughed, handing her the clearing photo.

Dan and Danny neared them curiously, wanting to see it too, but Dani has yet to let go of the photo. Jazz noticed with slight alarm that her hands were shaking.

“Dani?” Danny asked tentatively. “Is it not good? We can take another one if you-”

“No,” Dani smiled, her eyes wet. “It’s perfect.”

Dan peered over her head to see what the big fuss was about, and then paused. In the photo were three Phantoms, each of them wearing a black and white sweater with the DP logo on them. His eyebrows twitched when he saw the text on them. Danny’s had “Motherghost”, which he would have laughed at if his and Dani’s…

“Wait a minute, why are Dani and I named ‘Chaotic Gremlin?’” Dan scowled. “And why am _I_ number two?”

Dani grinned smugly. “Because _I’m_ the firstborn.”

“What did you say you brat?” 

“Here we go again,” Danny sighed as the two went at their bantering again.

Jazz patted his head teasingly. “I’d say you did a good job.”

Danny glanced down at the photo. He was standing in the middle, laughing as he leaned against Dan’s chest, and Dani was standing beside him with her arms wide and her smile big. Dan himself didn’t look too happy, but the small green blush and minuscule lift to his lips spoke volumes to him.

“Yeah,” Danny smiled, his voice soft. “I’d say I did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaah it's so short compared to my other chapters, but I hope you enjoyed it!


	7. Committed Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani wants to know what it’s like to be normal. No matter how much he questions her request, Danny will do his best to fulfill that wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been updating regularly lately because I have no self-control, but don't put too much faith in me. Updates are very likely to get sporadic because I get lazy very often lol. I've just been very motivated lately. Let's see how far this spree lasts...

Danny has had to adapt to a lot of things lately. Ghost powers, secrecy, combat… sometimes it was too much, but it would all be worth it in the end, right? Things would work out seamlessly one day, right? 

As he was crushed under the weight of an excited pre-teen girl, Danny decided that, no, that was not the case at all. Whatever plans he had for the future, it did _not_ include parenthood. And ghostly parenthood, at that!

Danny groaned miserably, pulling the blanket over his head. “Dani, stop that.”

“I will once you get up,” Dani huffed, settling on top of the groaning lump.

“Don’t wanna.”

“But you _promised_.”

“Did I?”

“Uh-huh, pinky and all.”

A beat of silence. And then… 

Dani squealed when she was suddenly thrown off the bed, and Danny lazily sat up with a stretch. He yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes as his brain slowly awoke. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, he saw that it was 5:30 a.m. 

“You didn’t have to throw me off!” she pouted.

“And you didn’t have to wake me up by jumping on me.”

“You wouldn’t wake up.”

“And assaulting me was the best way to go about that?”

“It worked, didn’t it?” She grinned.

Danny chucked his pillow at her. “Yeah, yeah. Get out so I can change, you gremlin.”

Dani dodged as she danced toward the door. “Good morning to you too, Mom!”

“Keep up that attitude and you’re buying your own lunch!” he called after her.

A low chuckle had him looking up, and Danny saw that it was Dan. “Your threats need some work, Ma. That wouldn’t even scare a fly.”

“Have you _tried_ the garbage they call food?” Danny raised a brow.

“I _would_ if you’d take me with you,” he snarked, and Danny recognized the jealousy immediately. Dan might act like an ass most of the time, but he was an ass that cared. Mostly. 

“We’ve talked about this, Dan,” He sighed. “I want to, I really do, but you don’t have a human form like Dani, and you’re hardly subtle.”

“Then I’ll just hang around invisibly.”

“Dan, you hate school.”

“I also hate being one-upped by the twerp,” Dan pointed out _very_ logically.

“You and your rivalry,” Danny rolled his eyes. “Fine, but don’t cause any trouble.”

“Is it really causing it if someone else starts it?”

“Dan.”

“ _Fine_. Buzzkill.”

Dan left after that, and Danny got to freshening up. As he was getting dressed, he thought back to how this promise came to be.

_ Dani had been down one day, and Danny was growing concerned with how sullen she was. She wasn’t even responding to Dan’s teasing. Then, one day as he was getting ready for school, a tug at his hoodie grabbed his attention. _

_ He glanced down at the strangely shy Dani, and asked, “Is something wrong, Dani?” _

_ “Well, I was wondering if-” she mumbled something inaudibly, and Danny strained to catch what she said. “If… you could take me to school with you.” _

_ “What?” _

_ “W-Well, I figured since I’m technically twelve, I could start going to school, or something? I know I’m a little young, but if I do well enough, then maybe I can at least be a freshman or-” _

_ “Danielle,” Danny interrupted her nervous ramble. Getting down to eye-level with her, he said, “I’m not asking for you to give me a good reason. I’ve been meaning to ask you about your schooling at some point, but I’m just… confused. You never expressed interest in school before, why now?” _

_ “I…” she paused. She fumbled with her fingers, her eyes on the ground. “When I was with Vlad, he focused on teaching me the basics of my ghost half, so he never really brought up school or anything. He didn’t even teach me how to read, I already knew that when I woke up the first time.” _

_ “Dani,” he frowned sadly. _

_ “No, I’m not saying this for pity,” she said, her voice rising a little. She finally looked up, and this time her eyes were determined. “I realized lately that I lack the basic education normal kids my age get. I’m sick of feeling so… stupid! Vlad took away a lot of things from me, but now that I’m free, I can finally take those things back.” _

_ She met Danny’s eyes. “I want to go to school. I want to learn the things you do, I want to make more friends, I want to feel  _ normal _.”_

_ There was simmering anger growing inside him, but Danny pushed it down. Dani didn’t need a protective parent, she needed a  _ supportive _one. Softening his expression, Danny smiled, “Thank you for telling me all this, Dani. That can easily be arranged.”_

_ “Really?” she beamed. The hope in her eyes was contagious, and Danny couldn’t help but smile wider. _

_ “Of course. We’ll have to enroll you the human way, but it can definitely be arranged. I’m sure we can-” _

_ He was cut off when she suddenly threw herself at him with a gleeful squeal. “Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!” _

_ The familiar weight of her small body against his sent a pleasant warmth straight to his core, and he immediately hugged her back. He could feel her surging **joy hope love** through their bond, and it filled his entire being.  _

_ He wasn’t sure how to respond without making it sound like this was a chore, so he opted for simply placing a kiss on her head and tightening his arms around her. _

_ Judging by her growing smile, he’d say she got the memo. _

“Mom, hurry up!” Dani called loudly.

Danny blinked out of the daze and realized he was still awkwardly standing shirtless. Shoving himself into the hoodie, Danny grabbed his backpack and rushed out the door with a sudden burst of determination.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

He headed into the living room and found Dani fidgeting impatiently near the front door. As soon as he arrived, her face lit up and she stopped her fidgeting. 

“There you are,” she said. “Come on, can’t be late!”

His first response was to roll his eyes or make a sarcastic comment, but he swallowed that impulse in favor of smiling apologetically. This was Dani’s first day of school _ever_ , and Danny will not ruin it for her. 

That day she talked to him, Danny realized how _fortunate_ he was to be able to go to school. He kind of felt like a jerk for whining about school, knowing now that she had no way to relate or understand his woes. Dani can make her own opinion about school, she didn’t need Danny’s influencing her, nor ruining the experience.

Dani deserved better.

“Sorry about that,” he laughed. “Let’s go.”

And as they walked toward the school, Danny couldn’t help but appreciate the sight of Dani’s excited chatter and wave of questions. Dani was young, but she also tended to be confident and overall tough. To see her so loose and happy, it made him inexplicably happy.

Something brushed against his hand, and Danny jolted as his core immediately recognized it as Dani’s hand. She’s brushed it carefully, as though testing the waters, and Danny replied by grabbing the hand.

A glance in her direction told Danny that, even though she hadn’t stopped talking, her smile had grown, expressing something more tender and raw than before. There was also a small blush on her cheeks, which Danny found very adorable. 

The fact that Dani felt comfortable enough to hold his hand so publicly warmed his heart. He’d expected Dani to shy away from affection in public, but it seemed that she didn’t care about that.

A helpless smile graced his lips.

With a grounding warmth in their hands, the duo walked to school contently, not once caring for the prying eyes around them.

(And if Dan spent the whole day pouting invisibly, then that was nobody’s business but his own.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Dani OOC here? Who knows. Do I care? No.


	8. Awkward Awareness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani fights ghosts on a daily basis, so injuries aren’t new to her. Except this time she’s... internally bleeding? Awkward comforting ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I have to say is... poor babie Dani. It’s okay, we’ve all been there XD.

Danny’s always been a hugger. He’s grown accustomed to the weight of  _ something _ in his arms every time he woke up. So, when the weight became a small half-human girl, it was an easy transition. What  _ wasn’t  _ an easy transition was being spooned by a giant mass of muscular boy, but he got used to that, too, somehow.

But when he woke up a tad uncomfortable, Danny realized something was missing. His sleepy body slowly awoke, and that’s when he registered that his arms were empty and flopped onto the bed.

More alarming, though, was the stain in place of Dani.

Was that… was that _blood_? 

Jolting upward, Danny gave the room a quick once-over. There weren’t any signs of a fight, but Danny couldn’t relax quite yet. He looked for any signs of Dani, but was on the verge of panicking when he found nothing.

Getting out of bed, Danny called out, “Danielle?”

A pang of _panic_ struck his core, and it wasn’t from Danny. Dan shifted in bed, no doubt because of what Danny just felt.

“Dani!” 

Oh my god, he panicked. Where was she? Was she kidnapped? Did she go ghost-fighting without telling him? But that didn’t explain the blood-

“In here,” came the shy and meek response from the bathroom.

Danny frowned. There was still _panic_ and _confusion_. Was Dani sick? “Are you okay in there?”

“Y-Yeah!”

The loudness of her voice and the stutter gave her away, and it only increased Danny’s concern. Was she injured and just too ashamed to show him? Dani _was_ a little hesitant about showing physical weakness.

“Are you hurt? I saw blood on the bed-”

“Everything’s okay! Nothing to worry about! You can go back to bed now-”

“Not until you show me you’re okay,” he insisted. If she was hurt enough to hide in the bathroom, it must be bad. When Dani didn’t answer, he said, “Please, Dani.”

After a moment of unsure silence, the door finally peaked open. Before he could say something, he was pulled inside. And just as quickly, the door was closed. Utterly confused, Danny turned to face Dani. She was paler than usual, and her hair was messy. It looked like there was something at the ends of her hair too.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Are you hurt? I can patch you up-”

“I don’t know!” she finally cried. When she looked up, her big blue eyes were wide with panic. Her voice went up a pitch as she went on, “I was just fine yesterday, but then today I woke up and I had this terrible stomach ache. I thought it was because I was hungry, but then I suddenly had to piss _really_ badly-”

Danny coughed, “Dani, you really don’t have to be that detailed-”

“THERE WAS BLOOD IN MY UNDERWEAR!” 

“ _What_?” he gasped.

“I didn’t know what to do, but then it came out with the other stuff too-!”

The realization hit him like a brick, and suddenly blood rushed to his burning cheeks. “Oh my god.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Dani squeaked. “Is it internal bleeding? I didn’t get into any fights lately-”

Trying to be as objective as possible, Danny cleared his throat. “W-Well, it’s definitely internal bleeding-”

“WHAT?”

“But it’s not the kind you’re thinking of!” he hurriedly added. 

“How is that supposed to make me feel better?!” 

“I don’t know!” he yelped. “I’m not exactly an expert on this!”

“What is _this_?” she asked hysterically. 

Her hands were shaking, and Danny could see that she was on the verge of tears. He was making it worse, he groaned to himself.  _Damnit, Fenton, you’re her parent, do something!_

Trying to calm down, Danny knelt down in front of the panicking girl. Grabbing her shoulders gently, he lifted her chin and looked her in the eye. “You’re going to be okay. From what I know, girls go through this every month. This is completely normal.”

“It is?” she whimpered.

“Yes,” he assured. Trying for a smile, he said, “I wouldn’t be saying this if it wasn’t true. Trust me.”

Dani stared at him for a moment, absorbing the information. Her core calmed as it thrummed in sync with Danny’s recognizing the familiar aura of _Mom faith comfort_. Taking another breath, she nodded slowly. If Danny said it would be okay, then he was telling the truth. Danny wouldn’t lie to her, not now, not ever.

“Alright,” she exhaled. “I can do this.”

“I know you can,” he smiled, and this time, Dani was able to return it. Then his face twisted to an unsure expression, and a small blush dusted his cheeks. “You… might have to talk to Jazz about this. I might be your mom or something, but I’m still a guy. I don’t know much about this.”

Feeling a little disappointed, Dani only nodded. She thought Danny could help her. He was _Mom_ , wasn’t he supposed to help her?

As soon as the disappointment came through, Danny wanted to hit himself.  _Fenton, you dumbass!_

“It’s not that I don’t _want_ to help you,” He explained quickly. “It’s just that I don’t know enough to be helpful. Trust me, if I knew everything, I would gladly help you more.”

“You would?” she asked, her voice small and hopeful.

“Of course!” he nodded. “If it were up to me, you’d only ever ask for my help.”

As soon as he registered his own words, Danny flushed even more. Dani, on the other hand, beamed. So Mom _does_ get jealous, she thought gleefully. She knew it!

It kind of sucks that Danny can’t help her, but she can deal. She kicked ghost butt on a daily basis, she could totally do this!

Wait.

“Oh my god,” she gasped. “So if I go ghost, will I bleed ectoplasm instead?”

“I have no idea.”

“ _Oh my god_ -”

“Yo, what’s going on in there?” Dan’s annoyed voice came through the door.

Danny groaned. Just what he needed. What if Dan teased her for this and made it worse? “Nothing you need to worry about. Go fix the bed, I know you left it messy!”

A grumble confirmed his assumption. “Fine, but you better tell me later!”

Sighing, Danny turned back to Dani. “I’ll go get Jazz. I’ll talk to Dan while she helps you, alright?”

Dani nodded. Just as Danny was about to turn and leave, a hand at his sleeve stopped him. He glanced back and saw that Dani was blushing. “What is it? Do you want me to wait on telling Dan?”

“No, not that,” she shook her head. “I… would have been a lot more panicked if you hadn’t talked to me. So, I guess, I just wanted to say thanks.”

The smile came easily, and Danny couldn’t help the warmth that flooded him at her gratitude. He might not be much help with this, but at least he helped with _something_. “I mean, it _is_ my job as your ghostly parent.”

“You didn’t have to explain all that to me. You could have called for Jazz immediately, but instead, you sat down and helped me calm down,” she pointed out with a smile. “That means a lot to me. Knowing you stuck around despite, you know, being a _guy_.”

“I might be a guy, but I’m still your mom, no matter how weird it is,” he ruffled her hair, ignoring her indignant “hey!”

“That was mean,” she pouted, ignoring the swelling warmth in her core.

“ _Very_ ,” he laughed. “Now stay here while I get Jazz.”

“Yes, ma’am!” she saluted cheekily.

“Brat.”

“Proudly!”

No deigning her with a response, Danny sighed and just walked out. As soon as he was in the bedroom, Dan was in front of him, frowning.

“So, what’s wrong with Twerp?” he asked.

“Oh, are you _concerned_?” Danny teased.

“ _No_!” Dan denied immediately. “I just don’t want to lose a worthy opponent.”

“An opponent for what, exactly?” he raised a brow.

At that, Dan flushed a little. “None of your business.”

“Mhmm.”

“Don’t give me that look!”

“What look?” 

Danny did eventually get to explaining very briefly to Dan. However, instead of laughing or being immature about it, Dan had simply shrugged and said, “Girls are girls, I guess.”

“That’s it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I figured you’d tease her or something-”

“Oh, I will,” Dan smirked. “But now is too soon. Maybe later, when she’s used to it.”

“That’s… oddly sweet of you, Dan.”

“Take back that slander this instant.”

“Make me.”

“You-”

“ _Boys,_ ” Jazz cleared her throat. “Enough with the rough-housing, please.”

Dani peaked out from behind Jazz, and Danny almost melted at how adorable that was. It seemed their talk was over.

“Oh, and Danny?” Jazz said. “You and I will be having a _talk_ later.”

“A talk? What about?”

Jazz gave him a pointed look. “You’re her mom, aren’t you? You need to be educated on certain things.”

“Certain-”

Danny blushed deeply as he realized what she meant. “Jazz!”

“I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I’ll see you in my room after school,” she said. Then, to Dani, “Call me if you need anything alright? You’ll have to make do with me until your useless mom is educated.”

Dani giggled. “Alright.”

“I’m right here!”

“We know!” they replied simultaneously.

Jazz left without another word, leaving the trio in the room. Dani shuffled her feet, unsure what to say after all that. Then, she caught sight of the bed and flushed a little.

“Sorry about your bed, Mom,” she apologized.

“It’s fine,” he reassured. 

He could hear Dan moving behind him, but Danny focused on Dani when she started speaking again. “Maybe… I should sleep alone for a while. So I don’t leak on the bed or, well, your legs.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Danny answered with a frown. “We’ll deal. We can just lay a mattress over the bed, it’s fine.”

“Are you sure-”

“Stop overreacting, Twerp,” Dan groaned. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“It’s right there, Dan,” she pointed at the bed, only to falter as the bed was…clean?

“See?” He rolled his eyes. “Perfectly clean. You’re _such_ a worrier.”

Danny, realizing what happened, let out a laugh. “Yeah, Dani. I don’t see anything either.”

“You guys…” After a second of stunned silence, she smiled, “Thank you.”

“No idea what you’re talking about,” Dan said, even as Dani and Danny watched him blatantly carry away another rumpled sheet in his arms.

Danny gave Dani an amused look. “You think he’ll admit he cares _now_?”

“No way,” she laughed.

(Live footage later shows Dan trying [and failing] to work the washing machine, Danny screaming into his pillow after his ‘talk’ with Jazz, and Dani laughing at them from the sidelines.)


	9. Serene Stability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jazz wants to be as supportive as possible, especially now that her little brother is a parent. But she also has inner doubts of her own. Pure sibling fluff cuz I love these siblings damnit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Peaking out from behind my barricade defenses* Please don't throw your pitchforks at me! I know It's been a whole month since I've updated, and I'm so sorry about that, but I knew I would reach this point. You've been warned that my updates can get late, so it was inevitable that this would happen. I was also busy gushing over FMA, as seen by my two new FMA fics...
> 
> I hope you're still interested in this story because I'm not giving up on it. I'm just... very slow.
> 
> On the topic of this chapter, I would like to clarify that I will NOT be including the Fentons. I know y'all wanna see them being grandparents, but I wrote this to focus on the PHANTOMS (and Jazz), so they were never part of the plan. I'm also not the biggest fan of them in general. I'm sorry if that disappointed you. I really am.
> 
> That being said, have fun!

When it comes to the Phantom Family, there’s seldom a quiet moment. That’s not to say that Danny hates the chaos of it all, because he knows that he wouldn’t have it any other way, but it’s still nice to appreciate the silence every once in a while when Dani and Dan were resting in The Haunt.

Glancing up from the book in his hand, Danny looked to the luminous door to the left of his room. It was a little strange at first, he mused. The first time Danny had seen that door in his room, he thought his parents had done some renovations, but upon asking them, he’d received weird looks and a question of “what door?”

If he was being honest, it freaked him out a little. He knew that the door, The Haunt, was the Phantom “lair”, but his paranoia ate at him, and he often wondered if other ghosts could enter through that door as well. 

A talk with Clockwork soothed his worries, of course, so now the door was a constant reassurance, reminding him that the kids were safe and just napping (or whatever they did in their free non-Danny time.) 

Exhaling softly, he pulled his eyes away from the door to his book. Before he could get far into the page, his bedroom door was suddenly slammed open, spooking him enough to startle him and make him drop the book.

“Jazz!” He yelped. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry,” Jazz grinned. She walked in, picking up the dropped book along the way. “I just really need to show you-”

She paused when her eyes fell on the title, and Danny could feel heat spread all the way to his neck and ears when she let out a giggle. “Oh my god, is this-”

“No!”

“It _is_!”

Danny swiped at her hand. “Just give it back!”

“I can’t believe you’re growing so fast,” She wiped away a fake tear, laughing. “One moment you’re watching your baby brother learn to crawl, and the next thing you know, he’s reading books on _parenting_ -”

“JAZZ!”

“Alright, alright,” she handed him the book. “You know, there’s no shame in this. You want to be the best parent you can for those kids, it’s very admirable.”

“Y-You think so?” He asked, feeling strangely shy in the face of his sister’s glowing expression.

“Yeah,” she smiled. She ruffled his hair when she added, “I’m very proud of you for that. For a lot of things, actually, but this especially.”

Danny squawked indignantly, but that was quickly replaced with another flush. “You can stop being embarrassing now,” he grumped. “What did you want to show me?”

Jazz noticed the blatant change of topic, but she let him get away with it for now. “So, you know how I have a scrapbook for all those newspaper clippings about you?”

How could he forget? It was very flattering, but it still made him feel uncomfortably warm every time she brought it out. “Yeah, what about it?”

“ _Well_ ,” she sang, “I thought, why not make one for the whole family while I’m at it?”

“Oh god,” he groaned. “Please don’t tell me-”

“I did,” she grinned. 

“ _Why_?”

“Why did I do it or why am I like this?”

“Both!” 

“I can’t help it,” her grin softened into a smile, and Danny could feel that warmth building up in his belly again. “I wanted to savor all those little moments and never forget them, and what better way than through a family album?”

“I… guess,” he ceded. 

“No need to be shy, Danny,” Jazz settled down next to him. “It’s perfectly okay to, as you would put it, ‘be sappy’ for a moment. They’re your family, aren’t they?”

No matter how embarrassing it was, he found that he nodded immediately, his core humming as though in agreement. “Yeah. They are. But so are you, and Mom and Dad-”

“I don’t mean by blood, even if they are, in some freaky ghost way-”

“Wow, _thanks_.”

“-I mean more along the lines of a _found_ family. It’s psychologically proven that found family affects one’s psyche much more positively than a normal one would. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how much happier you are around them!”

“I am?” He asked, surprised. He’s never really noticed it directly, but he has noticed that when he was with Dani and Dan, he was more… content happy rather than just plain happy. And something about that small difference made it all the more fulfilling to him. Still, he felt kind of bad for casting his sister and his parents to second-best. They were his family, too.

“Jazz-”

“Danny,” she intercepted. She didn’t look bitter or jealous like he expected her to. Instead, she just looked _happy_ , but not in the way that she was before. This happy was more of the resigned kind, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “I know that look, little brother. Don’t even think about apologizing.”

“But-”

“No,” she repeated, firmly looking him in the eye. She put down the album so she could grab his hands, never looking away. “I know we’re your family, too, Danny, and I know you won't ever forget about us or cast us aside, but it’s hard not to notice the way you’re so much more at peace with them. And I understand. Around us, you’re just Danny Fenton. But around them… there’s no secrets. You can be both Danny Fenton _and_ Danny Phantom, and you don’t have to worry about the what-ifs. You can just _be_.”

Danny swallowed. He wanted to deny this, that he sometimes felt unsafe and out-of-place around his parents, but he found that he _couldn’t_. It was the truth, and in the face of his sister’s unwavering honest eyes, Danny couldn’t bring himself to lie. She deserved better than that.

He looked down, unsure of what to say.

The sensation of a gentle hand on his face had him looking up. Jazz smiled, her hands soft and gentle and _warm_ as she says, “I won’t ever feel bitter of the truth because they make you _happy,_ and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. How could I say no to that?”

“Jazz,” he uttered. Then, forcing the words out of his constricted throat, “You don’t understand-”

“Danny,” she sighed.

“No, not that,” he shook his head. Grabbing her hand, he steeled his eyes and said, “What you said is the truth. I do feel happier around them. I can’t deny that. But you forgot something important.”

“I did?” Her brows rose in surprise.

“Uh-huh,” He nodded, smiling when she pinched them thoughtfully, as she usually did when she realized she was wrong or didn’t know something. “You forgot _you_.”

“M-Me?” her voice rose ever-so-slightly like she couldn’t believe it. Like it honestly surprised her. Jeez, and she called _Danny_ self-deprecating.

“You’ve been a huge help ever since you started covering for me,” he admitted. “I didn't even know you were protecting me, and yet you kept doing it, never expecting anything in return. And then when I finally tell you, you’re all _‘I’m so proud of you’_ and not _‘Why didn’t you tell me earlier?’_.”

Jazz rolled her eyes at his impersonation of her, but never interrupted him, even as her lips twitched. “Not to mention, when I explained the whole core-family thing, you didn’t even need any evidence. You just… believed me. Just like you always have.”

“You’re my brother, of course, I believed you,” she smiled. “I don’t need rhyme or reason to believe in you. It’s what family does.”

“See! That’s exactly what I’m talking about!” He pointed at her, trying for a scolding tone. “How could you say all that and not know what you mean to me?”

“Danny, I know you love me, I don’t need you to tell me-”

“Not that either!” He interrupted. Jazz looked affronted but he kept going. “When I think of family, I know I have two. I love both of them, but I know that one of them makes me feel like I never have to be anything but my _whole_ self. And guess what, dummy! You’re part of _that_ one.”

Multiple emotions ran through Jazz’s face, from confusion to shock to understanding. And, finally, _joy_. Like she couldn’t believe that this was the truth. Like she honestly doubted her place as one of the most stable people in his life.

“Danny,” she gasped, raising her hands to her face as though to hide. “You really mean that?”

“Why would I lie about that?” He huffed. “Jeez, you’re pretty stupid for someone so smart.”

“Shut up!” she laughed, not at all offended as she would usually be. “Like you’re any better, Mr. Do-My-Kids-Love-Me.”

“Wha- hey! That’s different!”

“What, did I imagine that night you came in and babbled about how you were worried you were a terrible parent?”

“Oh, yeah? Keep that up and I’ll never come to you with these things again.”

“Bluffing doesn’t suit you, little brother.”

“I’m not bluffing!”

There was the sound of a door cracking open, but it went unheard as the two siblings bantered and, inevitably, fell into fits of laughter, each of their smiles brighter than the other’s. The door closed, but the pair of eavesdroppers never lost their matching smiles.

(“Oh my god, are you _smiling_?”

“What? No!” 

“You totally were! You’re such a _softie_!”

“Stop that slander this instant, you goddamn Twerp!”)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're still reading this: thank you for not giving up on me! :3 I really appreciate your constant support. Also: someone call an ambulance cuz my playlist killed me. again.


	10. Educated Empathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Tucker finally gain an understanding of what Danny’s family means to him. Also, Dan appreciation. Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those wondering how Sam and Tucker are taking this: here you go ^w^

If there was anyone Danny knew he could depend on ever since he was small, it was his best friends, Sam and Tucker. That fact has never changed, and even after the whole craziness of ghosts. They were solid constants in his life, there with him through thick and thin.

Even if they were laughing at him right now.

“You should have _seen_ the look on Lancer’s face!” Tucker cackled. “It was like he saw a ghost!”

“I mean, you’re not wrong,” Sam grinned, equally amused. 

Danny groaned, burrowing deeper into his arms. “You guys suck.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, Danny,” she consoled him. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. The rumor mill will be up-and-running with newer tea in no time, and by tomorrow it’ll be like it never happened!”

“I don’t know, it’s hard to forget the new kid calling Danny Fenton _mo_ -”

Sam elbowed Tucker roughly, shutting him up. “Uh, I mean, Sam’s right! Don’t sweat it, man!”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Danny sighed as he finally looked up. “I mean, I am, but that’s not my main concern!”

“Then what is?” Sam raised a brow.

“I freaked out, that’s what!” Danny exclaimed, his arms flailing behind him. “You couldn’t feel it, but the hurt I felt from Dani was painful! What if she thinks I regret taking her in? What if she feels like a burden and runs away? What if-”

He stopped when a milk carton was suddenly shoved on his mouth. Danny pulled it away, glaring at Sam indignantly. She ignored him, giving him a flat look. “You’re overreacting. Just apologize to her later and explain that it was an instinctive reaction, and you’ll be fine.”

“What if-”

“ _No_ ,” Sam interrupted. “She’s new to school, isn’t she? She’ll have to learn about the rumor mill eventually. It’s Danielle, she’ll understand.”

Danny deflated. “I guess.”

Tucker gave him an encouraging smile. “Totally, dude. Don’t worry so much. You said this whole ghost core connection means you’re tighter than family, right? In that case, she’ll easily forgive you.”

Feeling a little better about himself, Danny returned the smile. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Danny wasn’t sure if it was something he said or if it was because they finally dropped the current topic, but Sam and Tucker exchanged a quick look. Danny’s known them all his life, so he knew that was their ‘ _You_ do it!’ look. He waited for one of them to inevitably cave and speak up.

It was Tucker that cleared his throat. “So, uh, how are you dealing with all this anyway? With your parents, school, _and_ ghost-fighting, isn’t parenting, I don’t know, more pressure?”

“Of course, it is,” Danny answered. Tucker opened his mouth to say something, but Danny cut him off when he continued, “But I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

There was a pang of _something_ in his heart, or maybe that was his core? Danny ignored it and said, “Before I really knew about this whole thing, I’ve always felt… incomplete. Like something was missing.” At their sad looks, Danny hurriedly added, “You guys did a lot, don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I was completely alone!”

Their worried looks eased a little, but they were still there. Danny sighed. “It was… hard. Essentially having no family to turn to. Clockwork said that because of that, my core believed I was an orphan, even if I have a family and friends.”

“Danny, that’s terrible,” Sam frowned. “And you felt like this the whole time?”

“It confused me for a while,” Danny shook his head. “But then… then I found them.” Pausing, he corrected, “Actually, more like _they_ found me.”

Understanding dawned on them. Tucker spoke first, “They were the missing pieces?”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “I didn’t know it, but when I bonded, it felt like that… hole, I guess, was gone. I mean, it was _really_ weird suddenly being a parent, but it felt _right_ , you know?”

Sam nodded. “I can’t pretend that I understand exactly, but I do understand that feeling of belonging,” she smiled.

Tucker was oddly silent, not adding to Sam’s comment. He seemed hesitant to say something, but after Danny shot him an inquiring look, he finally asked, quickly, “IsthatwhyyouacceptedDan?”

“What?” Danny blinked.

“ _Tucker_ ,” Sam hissed.

“You were thinking it, too!” He defended.

“What? What did he say?” Danny asked, feeling lost.

Sam and Tucker exchanged another look before Tucker repeated, “Is your bond the reason you accepted Dan so quickly? I mean, after everything he did…”

Something in Danny’s chest felt wrong, like a weight that was too warm and too heavy. It was ugly and Danny wanted to squash it down, but he couldn’t stop himself from snapping, “Don’t _ever_ say that again!”

Their looks shifted to surprise, and Tucker even jumped. Feeling a burn in his eyes, Danny realized he just gave his _best friends_ the Scary Eyes. Danny inhaled, forcing his nerves to calm down, but the feeling in his chest didn’t go away.

“Sorry,” he looked down. “It’s just that… I was pretty conflicted about that, too. I felt the same way you guys do, but then… then Clockwork told me _why_ Dan was feral when we met him.”

“Wasn’t it because your ghost half fused with Vlad’s?” Sam asked, confused. Tucker nodded, mirroring her confusion.

“No,” Danny shook his head. “I thought so, too, but it wasn’t that. Remember what I said about my core thinking I was an orphan? Well, apparently, I could have been worse.”

“Worse how?” Tucker asked.

“Because I had you guys, and Jazz, I was never _completely_ alone. When things became too much, I had someone to turn to. While it didn’t do much in terms of bonding, it was just enough to keep me from… becoming like Dan.”

“‘Becoming like Dan?’” Sam repeated, pondering the words. She went over Danny’s response for a moment, and then she gasped.

“Dude,” Tucker breathed. “Orphan ghosts turn feral?”

“Yeah,” Danny slumped. “And Dan, well, he had no one. He was a newborn ghost, and he had no one with him. He was completely alone.”

“That… would explain a lot of things,” Sam said dully, sounding strangely affected by this revelation.

“Wait, then what about Danielle?” Tucker frowned. “She was alone, too, wasn’t she?”

“She had the clones, apparently,” Danny replied. “I asked her about it, and she said the clones kept her company from time to time. Not to mention, she had Vlad. At the time, she was still under the impression that Vlad loved her.”

They fell silent, taking in this information. While Tucker and Sam pondered this, Danny focused on the weight in his chest. It felt lighter, but it was strange. It was like… 

Realization dawned on him. 

Tucker started speaking before the thought finished, saying, “Sorry for that, I guess. I didn’t realize it was because of all… that.”

Danny considered this. While his core was still buzzing, Danny knew that his friends would never say something like that unless they had a good reason to. And they did. All his friends knew about Dan was that he was a feral ghost they had to travel through time to stop and that he almost killed them all. They didn’t know Dan the way Danny, and Dani did. They didn’t know that he was a total softie, that he indulged Dani’s strange whims despite his protests, that he loved Danny and Dani no matter how much he denied it.

“It’s fine,” Danny finally answered with a smile. “I understand. Just… don’t say that again. Ever since we bonded, Dan has been getting a lot better. He really is trying.”

“We’ll take your word for it,” Tucker relaxed. 

Sam nodded in agreement. “Yeah, sorry about that. We were just worried.”

“I know,” he hummed, feeling the buzz turn to a slow thrum. “Thanks for understanding, guys. If it weren’t for you, I… wouldn’t be here now.”

“That’s what bros are for,” Tucker grinned, bumping Danny’s shoulder with his fist. Then, with a playful look directed at Sam, “And Sam, I guess. But bros before hoes and all that.”

“Excuse me?” Sam growled.

Danny stifled a laugh as Tucker positively cowered. “Uh, I mean, Sam’s totally a bro, too!”

Sam punched him lightly, “Damn right I am.”

Sam and Tucker bantered, but Danny tuned them out for a bit as he felt for that weight in his core again. With a relieved smile, he realized that the heavy weight had turned to something lighter and happier. Glancing briefly to his right, Danny thought, _‘You really are a softie if something like this made you happy.’_

And even though Dan never brought up the conversation, Danny knew the truth. And so, he went about his day, happy to have put Dan’s worries to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this house, we appreciate Dan trying his best damnit.


	11. Resolute Reassurances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani has her doubts, and Dash chooses the wrong time to mess with her. A fight occurs, oh my. But have no fear, Momma Danny is on his way! Part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well color me surprised, TWO chapters in one day? Why, yes! I'm proud of me too.
> 
> On that note: HOLY SHIT I'M NEARING 2K HITS. YOU GUYS. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. This is my most recent story, and yet it is my most popular, and it's rapidly gaining more hits. I am not kidding when I say that this is just INSANE to me. You guys' support will never cease to amaze me uwu

Dani has always liked her ghost half. It gave her cool powers, and it gave her a family bound by something beyond simple love. No, her core connection with her family was something deeper and stronger, and Dani always felt stupidly happy whenever she thought about it.

Right now, however, Dani _really_ hated her stupid core.

She’d slipped up and called Danny ‘Mom’ at school. In front of the other students. And Dani would normally brush this off because she honestly didn’t care what people thought of her and she was _proud_ of who her mom was, but the way Danny had flushed, the way embarrassment flooded right into her core…

Danny… immediately dropped her hand.

Okay, fine. It stung. She wanted to ask him what she did wrong. She wanted to know why he was suddenly so embarrassed when he was just fine with holding her hand on their way to school. And most importantly, she wanted to _punch the asshole that did this_.

What business did that asshole have, making a fool out of Danny and her for no reason other than his own petty entertainment?

What business did he have making her feel this _stupid, stupid_ hurt?

Dani tried to ignore the nagging in her core, but she evidently failed when she arrived at her locker and still had it in her to sigh sadly.

Danny told her and Dan time and time again that he loved them, and Danny would never lie to her. But she still couldn’t help but think of the embarrassment he’d felt. Was he embarrassed of being called ‘mom’? He’s never shown signs of hating it, and he never told her to stop. Sometimes she even felt _happiness_ from him!

So, what was it?

As she was brooding over her thoughts, she heard a loud slam right next to her. Dani turned to see what it was and blinked when she came face to chest with someone. Cursing her height, she looked up.

And immediately growled at the ugly mug that greeted her eyes.

It was the same Asshole from before!

“What do _you_ want?” she glared at him.

“Oh, nothing,” Asshole grinned, all teeth and no charm. “I was just wondering what you were doing away from your _momma_.”

The way he said it, like he was talking to a baby, _really_ pissed her off, but she valiantly tried to keep her cool. Danny warned her about bullies like Asshole, and she knew that he spoke from experience when he said it was better to keep to yourself because she saw the bruises that littered his back. From all the movies she’s seen, it could only mean one thing, and it made her want to growl again.

“Go bother someone else,” she snapped, looking right in his eyes. 

Asshole scowled. “Hey, now. Do you know who I am, Fentwerp?”

“A condescending asshole?” she tilted her head ‘innocently’.

“I’m the _quarterback_ of this dump, which means I’m doing you a _favor_ by talking to the likes of you,” he gloated.

Dani showed him exactly how much she appreciated his favor by rolling her eyes. “Yeah, okay. Whatever. Just leave me alone.”

“Oh, you’re Fenton’s cousin alright,” Asshole huffed. “You better drop that attitude, twerp. I’d hate to _rough you up_ like all those other losers. I wonder how you’d take a wailing, will you cower your precious mommy?”

Irritation turned to pure _anger_. How _dare_ he. Talking about Danny like he was less than dirt, calling him a _coward_ when he didn’t see the way Danny fought so hard to protect ungrateful people like him from malevolent ghosts. Not to mention, making Danny feel _embarrassed_ about something that usually made him happy and _proud of her_ -

She didn’t quite register what she’d done, not until she could feel his jaw on her fist as she punched him with all her (human) might.

There was the sound of gasping around them now, but Dani didn’t care for them one bit as she spat on the fallen Asshole. “Don’t _ever_ talk about Danny like that again. He’s a better man than _you’ll_ ever be!”

A crowd was forming around them. Asshole got up with an angry snarl, “So that’s how you wanna play? Fine. Don’t blame me if you go home crying!”

He rushed at her, but Dani dodged him. He crashed against the lockers with a loud _slam!_

A loud giggle sounded, and Dani cracked a grin at that. Yes, let them see who the _real_ loser was.

It went like that for a minute, just Asshole charging at her and failing to hit her as she dodged his every single attempt. She was making a fool out of him; she could see the way an angry blush was making its way from his neck to his face.

She was feeling pretty good about herself until something caught her eyes. Her eyes moved to look, and, all at once, it felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over her core as her anger got squashed into _shame_. Because that something was _Danny_ , watching her with a conflicted expression at the front of the crowd.

Dani faltered, and that’s when a fist met her cheek and slammed her into the lockers. She gasped as her back screamed and her face throbbed.

“Not so tough now, are you, Fentwerp?” Asshole smirked smugly. 

Dani almost got up, but that’s when she felt the _wave_ of anger that suddenly washed into her core. It certainly wasn't from her, because all she could think of was Danny’s _disappointment_ in her-

And that’s when time froze in her vision. Because suddenly Danny was in her view, his back facing her, as he stood between her and Asshole like a human barrier, _protecting_ her.

“Out of the way, Fenton,” Asshole snarled.

“Over my _dead body_ , Dash,” Danny growled, sounding angrier than Dani has ever heard him. “You’ll have to get through _me_ first.”

“Mom,” she whispered, overwhelmed by the feelings surging in her core. This wasn’t disappointment, this was _protection_ and _anger_. On _her_ behalf.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Asshole grinned. 

“ _Great Gatsby,_ what is going on here?!” 

The crowd parted to reveal an annoyed Mr. Lancer. He took in the scene before him: Danny standing in front of his bruised cousin, glaring stubbornly at an angry Dash.

( _Ah,_ Lancer thought to himself, _what a familiar sight_.)

“Mr. Baxter, to my office, _now_ ,” Mr. Lancer snapped firmly. He turned to Dani, taking in her injured state. “Mr. Fenton, take Ms. Fenton to the nurse. I’ll be taking your side of this scuffle later.”

Mr. Lancer left with Dash promptly, and Danny ignored Dash’s glares entirely as he finally turned to face Dani.

She didn’t look up, suddenly feeling smaller than ever under Danny’s searching eyes. He kneeled down, grabbing her hand gently. “Come on, Dani,” he said softly. “Let’s go.”

Surprised at the gentle voice, she looked up. In the face of Danny’s kind eyes and his sweet smile, not an ounce of shame or disappointment in his core, Dani crumbled. She threw herself at his chest, hugging him with all her might as she whispered again, “Mom…”

“I’m right here,” he whispered back, wrapping his arms around her. 

“I don’t understand,” she pulled away slightly. “This morning, when you dropped my hand, and just now with the fight-”

“You thought I was ashamed of you?” He gave her a solemn look. At her meek nod, Danny exhaled disbelievingly. “Dani, I could _never_ be ashamed of you. What happened this morning was an act of instinct based on years of bullying, but that doesn’t mean it was right of me. I’m sorry I made you hurt.”

“Really?” She smiled weakly, her core warming significantly at the apology and the hug.

“Really,” he smiled back. “I’m sorry your mom is such an idiot. I won’t do it again. If I do, feel free to hit me.”

“Okay,” she nodded far too eagerly, and Danny shook his head amusedly at that, mumbling a fond “you little gremlin” to her.

She giggled, feeling all her doubts wash away in that moment. That’s right, Danny would never be ashamed of her nor Dan. He _loved_ them. He _loved_ Dani.

Danny picked her up suddenly, cradling her in his arms. “Now, to the nurse’s office.”

“Alright,” she laughed at suddenly being carried. Then, almost shyly, she asked, “Does this mean I can call you ‘Mom’ at school?”

Danny gave her a funny look. “When did I ever say you couldn’t?”

Dani blinked, realizing he was right. Danny had never told her anything about that. She’d just assumed…

She laughed again. “I guess silliness runs in the family.”

“I guess it does,” Danny chuckled.

The vibrations of his laugh, along with the warmth in her chest, filled her with unexplainable giddiness. She nuzzled closer to Danny, enjoying the way his grip on her tightened in response.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Anytime, gremlin.”

(That moment somehow made it into the Phantom Family Scrapbook, and, to this day, Danny still suspects Tucker for that.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, really. I love y'all. so much.


	12. Small Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Phantom family gains a small new addition. But it brings its own share of angst as it dredges up bad memories. Poor Dani.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo gurl started college, so updates might stretch longer, and I’m really sorry about that! That being said, enjoy my newest addition, both to the story and to the Phantom family.

Danny regrets a lot of things. He regrets pulling his friends into danger. He regrets not being there for Dan. He regrets being too late to save Dani. He regrets his tense relationship with his parents.

But all of that feels like nothing in the face of this _evil_.

“ _Please_ ,” his no-good, cute, and pouty ghost-kid whines. 

Danny can feel an incoming headache, and a clench in his heart, but he keeps a firm voice when he answers, “Do you even know how to take care of a blob ghost?”

“Yeah!” Dani says, sounding affronted. “Vlad told me that all they need is a bit of ectoplasm. We can just use your parents’ lab for that!”

He understands her drive. He really does. The blob was oddly adorable with its round form and its big eyes that were _definitely_ pouting at him. Dani said she’d found it on the street, scared and shaking. It had probably wandered away from the ghost zone and couldn’t find its way back.

So, it was a stray. And while Danny definitely understands _why_ Dani wants it so badly, he still has to be responsible and consider the glaring problem here.

“Dani, what if my parents catch it?” he sighs.

“We can keep him in the Haunt!” she presses. “It’s a pocket zone from the Ghost Zone, he should be able to survive there. Besides, you let me and Dan stay here, and you didn’t worry about us being caught!”

“I did worry about that, actually.” There was nothing more nerve-wracking than hiding your ghost-kids in your own house, which also happened to be the house of two _ghost-hunters_. “I still do, but you and Dan are smart and responsible, you know how to stay hidden. Ghost blobs don’t have that same level of intelligence, Dani.”

“Oh,” she frowns. Her brows furrow, and Danny has raised her long enough to recognize that as her thinking face. She looks up at him again, her eyes determined when she says, “I promise I’ll look after Ditto! I’ll take care of him and I’ll watch him and make sure he doesn’t get into trouble. I promise, Mom! So can we _please_ keep him?”

Ditto? Oh, Ancients. She already named him.

Danny takes in her determined expression, and something inside him melts. She must _really_ want this blob. He can say no despite her affirmations, but Danny doesn’t think he can handle her heartbroken expression. The last time he’d seen it on her face was after their misunderstanding at school, and he _still_ felt like shit for putting the expression on her face. He doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

He heaves a sigh. “Fine, you can keep him.”

Dani’s expression lifts immediately. Jumping into a float, she cheers loudly as she throws the blob up as one would a baby. “Did you hear that, Ditto? Welcome to your new home!”

Danny watches as Dani dances in the air with her new pet. She’s laughing and smiling, and the blob, Ditto, seems to understand her joy as he lets out a sound resembling a cheer.

It’s an adorable sight, and it melts away all of Danny’s concerns. If it made Dani this happy, who was he to ruin that, he thinks with a fond smile.

Dani turns to him after a while of cheering as though she’d forgotten he was there, but he doesn’t resent that. He could never resent her happiness. Still, he has to be responsible, so he clears his throat and says, “He’s your responsibility, okay? I’m trusting you to take good care of him.”

Dani nods, her smile never faltering. He’s about to say something else, but he’s surprised when she suddenly throws herself at him, hugging him tightly as she whispers, “Thank you, Mom.”

His core afloat with her contagious joy and love, Danny just smiles, hugging her back just as tightly. “You’re welcome, gremlin.”

* * *

“Damn it!” _crash!_ “Get back here you little shit!”

“Hey! Don’t call Ditto bad names!”

“Like hell, I won’t! Did you see what the little shit did to my hair?”

“I don’t know Dan, the new look suits you.” a cackle.

“HE BIT OFF MY HAIR!” _boom!_

Danny sighs as the ruckus only got louder and louder. The headache he’d anticipated so long ago makes a notorious return, and with it, it brings back all of Danny’s regrets of adopting Ditto.

He should have known Ditto would copy Dani and cause chaos. He should have known.

While Danny is happy that Dani loves the little guy (as does Dan, but he would never admit that), he wishes Ditto would stop causing ectoplasmic explosions into his house.

He is _so_ glad his parents are out right now.

Another blast sounds, but this time it sails right by Danny’s head, nearly singing his hair in the process. Danny looks toward the culprit, and Dan tenses slightly. Looking somewhat sorry, he apologized, “Sorry, Ma! I was aiming for Dipshit.” Curiously, he never stepped closer, even as Ditto settled comfortably on Danny’s head.

Danny can feel something snap as he stands up. Dan must have seen how twitchy his expression was because he minutely flinched. 

“Dan, if you hurt Ditto, I swear on all the Ancients, I’ll-” Dani stops in her speech, looking more visibly startled than Dan. Ever the brave one, she asks, “I-Is everything okay, Mom?”

Danny exhales. “Oh, nothing. I just nearly got _my head blown off_ because Dan was chasing _your_ wayward pet.”

Dani sweats nervously. Danny couldn’t feel _actual_ fear from them, which was good because he really didn’t want them to fear him, but he can still feel a similar, but lighter, feeling to fear from them. Good.

Raising a brow, he asks, “Now, whose responsibility might this be?”

“M-Mine,” Dani answers meekly, floating down to the ground. Dan still hasn’t said anything.

“You don’t say,” Danny drawls. “Then, I don’t suppose _you_ taught Ditto that it was okay to intake ectoplasm by eating Dan’s hair?” He looks pointedly at the missing chunk of Dan’s flaming hair.

Dani doesn’t answer him, so he pushes his displeasure at her core. Finally, she caves and says, “I… did.”

She looks genuinely sad now. Danny sighs, pulling away. She doesn’t relax, but then again, neither has Dan.

“Look, I’m not mad, per se,” he explains. “But you promised me that you would keep Ditto _out_ of trouble, not _in_ it.”

“It was funny at the time,” Dani mumbles, shuffling her feet.

Dan huffs indignantly. “My hair isn’t food.”

“I’m glad you didn’t mean any harm, but it’s still gotten out of hand, Danielle.”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” she looks at him through her bangs. “I didn’t think it would get this violent.”

“Don’t apologize to _me_ ,” Danny gestures to Dan.

Dani looks like she bit on a lemon, which is a change from her bashful expression earlier. Still, she says, “I’m sorry, Dan.”

“Whatever, Twerp,” Dan says, but he looks less affronted than before, so he supposes it’s better than nothing. 

This is the best he can get out of them anyway.

Dan sounds surprisingly concerned when he asks, “Are you gonna take Dipshit away?”

His brows furrow in confusion. “Why would I do that?”

Dan relaxes, but Dani still isn’t looking at him. Concern growing in his core, Danny asks, “Danielle?”

She finally looks at him completely, but her eyes are wet and her hands are shaking. “W-Well, that’s what Vlad did.”

Danny grits his teeth. _Vlad._ It’s always _Vlad_.

Going by what she said, that must mean that she had a blob before meeting Danny, and Vlad had taken it away from her for whatever fucked up reason. 

And she thinks that Danny will do the same.

He’s not sure _what_ he should feel from this. Anger at Vlad? Hurt for being compared to Vlad? 

_No, don’t think like that_ , Danny shakes his head. Focusing back on Dani, Danny notes that her entire being was shaking now. Why? Did his anger leak into her core? She must know that he wasn’t mad at _her,_ right?

Dan looks ready to jump in upon seeing his sister, but Danny raises a hand to stop him. Walking the distance toward Dani, he crouches until he’s at her level. “Dani, look at me.”

She lifts her gaze carefully, and Danny’s heart aches at the sight of her fear. “I’m not taking Ditto away.”

Dani’s eyes widen in surprise, but he doesn’t stop. “I would _never_ take away something that makes you happy. If Ditto makes you happy, he can stay forever. Hell, you can adopt a million other blobs if it makes you happy. I just want you to understand that being responsible for him isn’t a small thing.”

“Oh,” she utters. “Then… you’re not mad at me?”

“ _Never_.”

Her sadness finally lifts as she lets herself smile, and Danny is helpless to returning the smile. Even Dan was smiling at them, he knew it. Unable to stop himself, Danny pulls her into a hug.

And just because he can _feel_ Dan’s jealous grumbling, he says, “Come here, Dan.”

“Leave me out of your ridiculous sap fest,” Dan glares, but it lacks its usual heat, and he caves embarrassingly fast. 

Their position is awkward, with Danny kneeling slightly to hug Dani properly and Dan crouching completely so he can be pulled in as well, but Danny wouldn’t have it any other way. Even Ditto was nuzzling into Dani’s cheek.

When he relinquishes Dan so he can go back to being grumpy, Dani doesn’t pull away completely. She smiles jokingly as she says, “So, about that million blobs thing-”

“Don’t even _think_ about it, you brat,” Danny pinches her cheeks warningly, but he’s still smiling, and so is she, and so is Dan.

Vlad can go die in a ditch for all he cares. Nothing can ruin this castle he’s built for him and his family. Nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're still here! :D
> 
> Since you're here, if you have some suggestions, feel free to drop them! I can't guarantee that I'll like or do them all, but I will read them and give credit when it's due if I ever use them :3


	13. Accepting Agape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan introspects about Danny and Dani’s effortless love. He makes an epiphany. Aka Dan realizes he’s loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took me a while because there was so much I wanted to include, but I guess that just means another Dan chapter will come after this one *shrug*. Have fun reading!

Dan wasn’t one to speak his mind. He’s a firm believer in speaking through actions rather than words. And though he hasn’t said this to anyone, he knows that Danny and Dani know this. They don’t tell him that either, but it shows. It shows in the way they take one look at him and immediately understand him, in the way they never get hurt by his words, and in the way they keep smiling at him.

Dan pauses in his shooting, and the metal ball falls to the floor. 

Dani looks at him from where she’s lying on her bed, reading a comic book. “What’s up with you?”

“What do you mean?” he grunts.

She squints at him, still not moving. “I don’t know. You just seem weird today.”

Dan pauses to give her a look. “Weird?”

Dani nods, or at least, he thinks that’s a nod. It’s hard to tell when she’s upside down. “Yeah. You’re like… distracted. And you lack your usual bite.”

Something rises in his chest. It’s heavy and ugly, and it’s begging to lash out. He holds it in. “You’re seeing things, Twerp. Must be a side-effect of being short.”

Dani sends him an indignant scowl. “Hey! That was uncalled for!”

“So’s your nagging!” he rolls his eyes at her.

Dani huffs, and he’s pretty sure she’s trying to look angry, but all her puffed up cheeks do is make her look soft. “Fine,” she says as she turns back to her comic. “Be like that. Sorry I care.”

Dan can feel his core waver at that, and he doesn’t understand why for the life of him. Why was such a basic concept like care so hard for him to swallow? He faced it every day in the form of his family. They were not afraid to show open care toward him, not like the others before them.

And yet it still sits heavily on his core.

Swallowing that lump, he says, “Sorry.”

Dani gives him a searching look, and after a minute of observing him, she smiles. “Thanks.”

_ Ba-dump. _

He looks away from her. “W-Whatever. How about we go bother Ma?”

The bed rustles behind him as Dani answers, “Sure. I’ve been meaning to ask him for help with math anyway.”

Liar, he thinks almost fondly. They both know Danny sucks at math. Dan’s watched them “study” before, and it was anything but that. At first anyway. They always started their sessions equally lost and confused, so they spend thirty minutes goofing off before Jazz notices and inevitably helps them.

A small part of him wonders why she bothers asking Danny first when she could just go to Jazz. But Dan knows the answer already.

“Well, if he’s failing and I’m failing too, we might as well fail together,” Dani told him when he asked her. Weird logic, but after watching their study sessions, he thinks he understands. Whenever Danny studies alone, he looks distressed and annoyed, and Dan knows somehow that it’s directed at himself rather than the work. With Dani, he no longer frowns at his mistakes and instead laughs when they both end up making it.

They lift each other up.

Sometimes Dan catches himself feeling jealous of their bond, but it’s nothing against either of them. It’s against himself. It’s against the fact that he can’t bring himself to be so raw with someone else, not the way Danny and Dani are.

“Dan?” a voice cuts through his thoughts, jolting him slightly.

It’s Danny, looking at him with open concern, the same expression Dani was wearing not too long ago, and it shakes his core a little. “Are you okay? You seem weird.”

_ Dani said that too,  _ he blinks. They really were clones.

“That’s exactly what I said!” Dani huffs. 

Danny doesn’t look away from him. It feels like he’s staring right into his core, and Dan doesn’t know how to feel about that. The concern is still there.

“What is with you two and calling me weird?” He says. 

Danny blinks. Then, “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling, you know?”

“So, a mother’s intuition?” Dani pipes in with a teasing grin.

Danny rolls his eyes, but pats her head despite that. “You’re such a brat.”

This is usually where they start falling into their own friendly squabble, but this time, Danny’s eyes go right back to him. He stares at Dan for a long minute.

And then, he’s leaning back and smiling at Dan. “I know! Why don’t we go bully Boxy!”

Childish excitement, so light and strange and new, rises in his chest, but Dan keeps it down and just says, “If you want to, I guess.”

Dani rolls her eyes at him behind Danny. “Just say you want to, idiot. You’re not fooling anyone, it’s so obvious.”

Danny hums. “It really is. Like a kid being offered candy.”

“Oh, yeah?” Dan twitches. These two really like to annoy him with their games.

“Yeah!” Dani nods. “Your eyes get glowier and lips twitch. It’s so obvious, dude.”

“His hair even flickers,” Danny adds with a small smile. “It’s adorable.”

_ Ba-dump. _

What the hell? Those are such minuscule things! Who in their right mind would notice something so small? Were they shitting with him? 

But Dan knows that expression on their faces. It’s the same expression they give him when he joins their silly shenanigans, or when he carries them and “complains”, or when he pranks people that make fun of them.

An expression full of love.

This is their rawest emotion, and they’re baring it to him so easily, without even trying. Like they don’t even need to think twice when it’s him.

Something settles softly onto his chest. It wraps around his core and his whole being like one of Danny’s soft blankets during their Mandatory Cheesy Movie Fridays, and it lifts away whatever lingering weight was left from earlier.

“You guys are ridiculous,” he says as steadily as possible, but he’s pretty sure they caught the slight tremor in his voice. 

“Whatever you say,” Danny shrugs. 

“Dooooork~” Dani fake-whispers to Danny.

An idea comes to Dan, and it brings a grin to his lips. “Hey, how about a change of plan, Ma,” He lights a small fire in his hand, “Why don’t we bully Twerp instead?”

And by “we”, he means he’ll chase her and Danny will watch their squabble from the sidelines while laughing.

Dani squeaks, but she’s laughing as she darts away and back into the Haunt. “Catch me if you can, slow-poke!”

“Oh, I’ll show you!” he darts after her, grinning all the way.

“Gremlins,” Danny sighs fondly. Transforming, he follows behind them.

The door to the Haunt closes gently. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I GOT 3K HITS??? WHEN??? OH MY GOD I LOVE Y'ALL


	14. Redirecting Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Dan share a moment as they consider how Danny’s affected them. Regrets rise, comfort ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaah I’m torn about this one, ngl. I liked some parts and found others rough, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. 
> 
> That aside, I noticed I am THIS close to 4K hits, but I also hit 300 KUDOS and 100 BOOKMARKS. YOU GUYS' SUPPORT WILL NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE ME UWU

“Hit me if you can, shortstack!”

“Stop calling me that!” _boom!_

“Temper, temper.” 

“I’LL SHOW YOU TEMPER, YOU JACKASS!” 

A loud yelp sounds.

“When did you learn to do _that_?!”

“Hehe, not so cocky now, are you?”

Danny sighs as the two siblings squabble. He’s watched enough of their spars to know how violent their “friendly practices” got, but he never actively tries to stop them because he knows they don’t actually mean to maim each other.

Not too much, anyway.

“Hey, not the face!” 

“ _Always_ the face.”

“Oh, you are _so_ getting it now.”

A blaze of heat blasts inches away from Danny’s face, causing him to yelp back in surprise. “Hey, watch it!”

“Damn, I missed.”

“Ha! And you say _my_ aim sucks!”

Yeah, right, Danny muses. Dan is actually pretty good with his aim, so Danny’s pretty sure Dan missed on purpose.

Dan can fool anyone in the Ghost Zone, but not him. And certainly not Dani, if the softening of her grin is anything to go by. Of course, she returns the favor by not zapping Dan with all her electric capabilities. 

Danny’s seen many victims unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of Dani’s fully charged electricity (hint: Vlad), and Dan didn’t look like any of them. In fact, right now, Dan just looked like a frazzled brother bent on getting revenge for the large chunk of ectoplasm missing from his hair.

(Courtesy of Ditto, of course.)

A loud yawn escapes him, interrupting his thoughts. Dani pauses from her busy task of trying to punch Dan’s face to say, “Maybe you should go to bed before you fall on your face, Mom.”

“Not that he can, in the Ghost Zone and all,” Dan adds.

“I don’t know, will you start maiming each other as soon as I leave?” Danny raises a brow.

“Oh, we would _never_ ,” Dan says with mock seriousness. Well, he’d sound plain serious to anyone else, but to Danny, the mockery is clear.

“Uh-huh,” Dani nods rapidly.

Danny sighs. “Just… don’t go too crazy, alright?”

“But that’s no fun!” Dan groans.

“Yeah, there’s no satisfaction in a simple punch!” Dani says with a concerning honesty.

Knowing any further arguing would be pointless, Danny just sighs again. Ancients, this whole parenting thing is nothing but a pain sometimes. De-transforming on the platform connecting the general Ghost Zone to their Haunt, Danny says, “I better see you two in one piece tomorrow.”

As soon as the door closes, Dani turns to Dan, saying, “You think he knows we argue like this just to mess with him sometimes?”

“Nope,” Dan huffs out what Dani _knows_ is a laugh.

Now that they’d stopped sparring, their workout really starts setting in, and Dani can feel the satisfied tiredness all over her body. She floats down onto the platform, de-transforming as she stretches out her arms. 

Dan looks at her strangely, but Dani can tell that it’s a good strange. Like the kind he feels when he wants to express affection but doesn’t know how to without being “sappy”. Then, he says, “Your electroplasm is getting better.”

“You think so?” She smiles tentatively.

“At least you didn’t almost electrocute Ma after releasing too much energy like last time,” he adds, because of course there’s also a dig in his compliments.

“Yeah, yeah,” she rolls her eyes. She flops back onto her back, staring into the green and purple nothingness above them. There was something oddly fascinating about the Ghost Zone’s “sky”, something that put Dani at ease. Sometimes she thinks it’s weird, but she’s seen Danny stare at it as well.

The air shifts next to her, and she turns her head to see Dan floating down to lie next to her. Dani is happy to lie there contently in silence until Dan starts speaking again.

“You were holding back, weren’t you?” He says more than asks.

“You were too,” she retorts, but doesn’t deny.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” he pinches her arm next to him.

“Yeah, I know,” she agrees quietly. “I just… after last time…”

“Twerp,” Dan says in that smooth voice she’s come to associate with his comfort, “You know he probably didn’t even notice himself, right?”

“I _know_ , Dan,” she groans. “But you saw it too, right? I definitely didn’t imagine the way he flinched and backed away from me!”

“I did,” he says slowly, “But I, unlike you, didn’t overthink it into some sad guild trip.”

“Guess that’s one thing you didn’t get from Mom,” she tries to joke, but it falls flat.

“Twerp.” The way he says it like a reprimand, however, is definitely from Mom, she thinks.

“Yeah, okay, I overthought it,” she begrudgingly admits. 

“Damn right,” Dan rolls his eyes. 

After a moment of silence, he speaks up again. “I can’t say I never have as well, though.”

Dani turns her head to look at him, a look of surprise on her face. “When?”

“When Ma found me in the future, I…” he swallows, and Dani can see how hard this is for him. He’s wearing the same exact expression Danny wears whenever he can’t find his words. “I was scared, at first.”

The first thing she feels is surprise, and then it’s followed by guilt. Dani always tries to remind herself that Dan, while a bit of an ass, is still her brother, so when she’s surprised by something so humane in him, she feels terrible. Almost as though she’s calling him a monster in her head.

Dan keeps going, though she’s sure he can feel the same weight she feels on her own core. “I’d never felt anything like Ma’s aura. He was definitely scared, I could feel it somehow, but he still found it in himself to… to _reach out_ to me. Stupid sentimental Ma, trying to connect with a monster just based on a hunch, right?” Dan laughs humorlessly.

“Dan,” she frowns. She reaches out to place a hand on his shyly, waiting for him to move away. When he doesn’t, she holds it gently. “You know we never once thought of you as a monster, right?”

“Not now,” he corrects. “But back then… back then everyone was scared of me. I was the monster that ruined their lives, their home, their families… hell, I’m _still_ a monster now. Have you seen me next to you and Ma?”

That’s what Dani worries about. She’s well aware of just how human she and Danny look, but she never once considered Dan a monster. When she sees Dan next to them, all she thinks and feels is that familiar sense of _belonging_.

But Dan doesn’t know that. She should fix that.

“What do you mean?” she says with a forced casualness. “You look exactly like me and Mom.”

“Twerp, I swear-”

“I mean, after all, you _are_ a Phantom, aren’t you?” she smiles at him as she tilts her head toward him. “You look like you belong, which is how we should all look.”

For once, Dan can’t hide the astonishment on his face, and he seems to realize as his cheeks turn a little green. “That is so _sappy_ , and so not the point.”

“It so _is_ ,” she replies. “Dan, you _know_ that if Mom and I thought you were a monster, we’d kick your ass all the way back to your original timeline. But we don’t because you’re _family_ ,” and then, as an afterthought, “Idiot.”

And just like that, she can feel the cold thaw as it makes way for warmth, and Dani doesn't have to look at him again to know he’s blushing even more. 

A cough, and then, “Was that last bit really necessary?”

“Yup.”

Dani glances at their joint hands, taking in just how right it is. Dan’s hand looks huge under hers, but that only makes it even more right somehow. She can’t imagine her brother any other way.

“Mom took us in for a reason,” Dani says into the silent void, knowing that Dan is listening intently, soaking in every word. “He saw two lost ghosts and decided in his own stupid way that we were worth saving. And we are. He just… helped us see that.”

Danny never once resented her for being his clone, or for betraying him for Vlad, or for always leaving only to come back crawling to him over and over again. There was a time when she wanted him to hate her just so she could feel something familiar, but now that she knows what a family feels like, she never wants to go back again.

“Yeah, sounds like Ma,” Dan grins a little.

Dani glances at Dan again. It’s true that most ghosts assumed he wasn’t with them despite the big bold symbol on his chest, but Dani felt a connection with him the moment Danny brought him home with him. Maybe it was because they were both freaks, or maybe it was because they were bonded by the potential Danny saw in them, but that doesn’t really matter. 

What matters is that Dan is here, and so is Dani. They’re both here and not somewhere else, feeling lost and alone.

All thanks to a certain bull-headed motherghost of theirs.

“So _that’s_ what you were doing,” an amused voice cuts through the silence, startling them both.

Kind blue eyes stare down at them with a warm fondness that leaves Dani feeling all warm inside again, and judging by Dan’s subtle shift, he does too. Danny continues, “You know, if you’re so into staring at the endless void, we could always just go stargazing.”

Dani sits up. “Really?”

“Sure,” Danny grins. “I always love a good excuse to go stargazing. Not that I need one.”

Dan huffs. “Typical.”

Well, he didn’t say no...

“Well, then let’s go!” Dani hops up. 

“Right now? At two in the morning?” Dan raises a brow.

“Of course!” She and Danny chime simultaneously. 

Dan stares at them with something akin to, dare she say, fondness in his own eyes. His skepticism softens as he shrugs, “Whatever. Nothing better to do anyway.”

Danny covers his laugh with a cough as he glances pointedly at Dan’s hair. “Of course not.”

Dani is pretty sure she fell asleep under the stars that night, but if there is anything she truly treasures about that night, it’s the feeling of sleepy contentedness as she cuddles into Dan’s chest as he carries both her and Danny home.

(Not that he admits to that.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unrelated side-note: I love Hazbin Hotel owo

**Author's Note:**

> Read my other drabbles on my writing Tumblr under the same name :3


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